the ‘l’-word

Lust, luscious, lascivious, licentious, libidinous, languish, not to mention love, Lolita, Lothario, lace, leather and latex, labia, lips, leash, lay, lewd, lecherous, lubricious, inextricably linked to salacious that even though doesn’t begin with the same letter it does make a significant contribution to its deportment.

Then there’s libido, longing, lush, liberate and even loose, all words frequently associated with sex, sexuality, all things erotic and all beginning with ‘L’. The perfect letter to roll in your mouth, the way it’s folded back on itself and then gently stroked of sometimes flicked off the top of your mouth, almost flagrantly as though unleashing something, something perhaps pent-up, held back, just waiting to be given free reign.

One of my favourite is lygerastia, which means the tendency to only become aroused in darkened rooms or spaces. This doesn’t apply so much to me as it seems I can feel it anytime. anyhow and anywhere. It’s pronunciation scrabbles along an edge of a semantic twilight realm beginning with the ‘l’ but then almost losing control stumbling over the ‘g’ and then at odds with a much harsher ‘st’, as though daring the speaker on to the bitter end.

The next time you say any of these words, linger (another appropriate word) a while on the ‘L’ and enjoy how it feels, dances, plays on your tongue and teases your lips and tickles your senses.

© Emmaleela