A Response To Hedonism

“Hedonism comes naturally to men. At the sound of a key turning, a man has locks all over his body. But women are numb or liars or never stop thinking, you can not make me stop thinking”

--Anne Carson “An Anthology of Water” Plainwater

I think maybe you date yourself Anne.

I think men were different back then

in the 80’s or maybe the 90’s too

they were simpler,

or rather, love came to them easier

making love was easier.

Ronald Reagan gave them a collective boner.

The cold war shaped a much different masculinity. It was rough. It was capitalist.

I think it involved torn blouses and popped buttons in the back of Chevys.

Even if you were gay or a minority it didn’t matter,

same key, same slot, somewhere between

the heart and the gut.

I’m not that guy.

I sexually matured after 9/11. I think when the towers fell

American men became impotent.

en masse,

I think it was the ultimate blow to our collective phallus,

I think

terrorists killed my sex life.

Hedonism does not come naturally to me.

I have enjoyed some "sexual" situations with some lovely individuals,

who could hear the jingle when we pressed together—

tangled chains slipping from bruised locks under my chest.

(It is entirely crucial you know the truth)

In the 2000s, masculinity is all about constructing a hyper-reality.

I think it involves posting half-naked pictures with nameless women on Facebook.

I can not stop thinking Anne.

Hedonism is taken up by the richest and the poorest and none is left for the middle.

They even sent us to war Anne,

our fathers and grandfathers with their raging Reagan boners, but we

couldn’t finish the job so we lied and blamed women,

said it was women’s fault, but it is the men,

the men who can not figure it out,

we can not find the slot Anne. Our fathers and grandfathers and

founding fathers and Great Fathers and surrogate fathers

tell us to shut up and get our rocks off but they

can not make us stop thinking Anne.

They can not make us stop thinking.

They can not make us stop thinking.

They can not make us stop thinking.