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Inst. Mariony Medina

INGL 3104, Sec. 082
27 April 2015

What my lips have kissed, and where, and why

What my lips have kissed, and where and why, is poem written by Edna Vincent
Millay. This poem was written on a close date to the Second World War, where many men lost
her lives fighting for freedom. It can be a poem about a woman that lost her happiness during
that success in history, and has not being able to find love in someone since then. Its a sad and
painful poem, were the author tell us her hidden story.
What my lisps have kissed, and where, and why, this is like a question trying to find a
reason to her mistakes, without trying to forget to forget those places that she went when she was
young and looking for her happiness in the lips of other people, and why, maybe is like her
life was never close to love, and she felt alone in her daily life. And, she asks to herself, maybe
why she had to pass all that suffering. I have forgotten, and what arms have I lain, she says
I have forgotten, maybe because time has passed and she has aged and all that she tries to look
in her mind are photo memories when she was young and in search of what made her happy in
that moment; and what arms have lain, this can be the arms of the people that she looked for
company, in search of happiness and love in her younger life. Under my head till morning, this
is understand as her memories, dreams and all that she remembers while looking through the

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window of her bedroom. Is full of ghost tonight that tap and sight, we can understand this as
the memories that follow her at night and torture her. Upon the glasses and listen for reply, this
can be her past chasing her to her present and torturing for her past decisions, and look at her and
appear on her dreams. And in my heart these stirs a quiet pain, this is definitely, is her feeling
bad about her past decision, but she suffers quietly, and alone. For unremembered that not
again Will turn me at midnight with a cry, this is like it said before, the sadness of her
memories, that torture her and makes her remember the terrible past that she had to suffer and
live without love, without love, only kisses and laid arms. This in the winter stands the lonely
tree, Nor knows what birds have banished one by one, this tells us again how alone she is and
that everyone that one day were her company left her alone like birds flying of a tree, the poem
give us continues hints every time the loneness of the author in the poem. Yet knows it is
boughs more silent than before:, I cannot say what love come and go, the author reflex of her
loneness and how love comes and goes from her, that she never had a complete happiness, and
she started looking, and watching how youngers are happy, but other run with her same luck in
love. I only know that summer sang in me, A little while, that in me sings no more, the
author says good bye, because time and life pass over her, and she only has her memories, and
life said good bye, because time aged her, living her alone in a crystal room watching everything,
only with memories.
The author recalls the sadness and the pain in the poem during every line, and lets us
know that she is alone, and out of love. We saw with how much suffering she wrote the poem,
and it can be to in the date that she wrote it, just a couple of years after the world war. She reflect
to us, that she lived, or at least knew someone that lived that horrible moment, and left what was
rest of his/her life alone.

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Work Cited
St. Vincent Millay,, Edna. "What Lips My Lips Have Kissed, and Where, and Why (Sonnet
XLIII)." Poets.org. Academy of American Poets. Web. 4 May 2015.