20150818 (weakness)

This is a portrait of an actual young woman in Britain who matches a computer
summary of many other portraits of "attractive young women." To indicate what a
masher I've become in my middling old age, my response is "I love her" though I
know nothing of her background, marital status, sexual orientation, intelligence, body
odor, etc.  Please forgive the insult, darling, this is really how men are.

I fall in love too easily

In Manhattan I typically fall in love

Twice while crossing an avenue

Five times if I walk the block

I’ve asked women in bookstores 

In queues if they would date

Significantly older men how old 

Seventy-two I answered 

They’d often smile and say no

Which I figure is a lot better than

A whole bunch of things

They could have said

Whether I conceive of myself as a

Reincarnation of Maurice Chevalier

That’s the only excuse I can tender

To feminists I offend chalk it up

To being raised in a macho age

I’m really not aiming to offend

But indicating to pretty young things

You regard them as pretty young

Things will likely get you a slap

In the face these days after all

Would I have wanted older women

To bother me asking for dates 

When I was younger whether they

Regarded me as a piece of meat

Or a fair piece of jewelry to wear

On their arm when they went for

An afternoon of Mah Jong

What kind of ignorant needy

Senior miss would dare think

In her coothood I’d give her

So much as the time of day

I remember as a teen 

At a high school retreat 

Asking one of the younger brothers 

Religious title for men professing vows 

Of poverty chastity and obedience

What really went through his head

On seeing some exquisitely

Beautiful woman what a great wife

For somebody else that’s probably 

Part of why it was wise I left

The Dominican novitiate after

Just a few days I’m beginning 

To see why even discussing

Their dating is being monstrously

Boorish ill-advised and un-Christian

Which poses problems for guys like me

Whose bodies may as well be dead

But whose heads will autonomically 

Dwell on the thought she would be

A great wife for somebody

And leave off the else

c. J.S.Manista, 2015