Sex Education
It’s a rite of passage. At the beginning of the chase,
we make do with kisses all about the face
with our mother’s staunchest warnings that we should wage a war
to maintain our chastity as in days of yore.
But TV is an oasis of fleshy predilections,
a veritable manual of “how to” sex directions.
Add to that the internet and to our folks’ remorse,
we can view every possible form of intercourse.
No more that gentle manual slipped into our hand
by an embarrassed mother whose speech is neatly canned—
birds and bees and butterflies, instructions prettified—
that certain code of etiquette that could not be defied.
So the twenty-first century deals with acts of love,
presented not with gentle push, but with a mighty shove.
Leave the loving out of it. The act is what we’re after.
Forget the gentle wooings, the tenderness and laughter.
It seems the world is doing its best to turn our teens
into walking, selfie-taking, loveless sex machines—
taking what they want so fast that they do not perceive
that love is also giving—not just what you receive.
Love techniques are fine so long as learners also see
that dealing with their feelings requires maturity.
Take care in your choosing. Make sure that you both love,
so when passion finally finds you, it fits you like a glove.
Prompt words today are passage, wage, oasis, staunch and chase.