they move as quick as flowing water their manners are rough and their spellings worse they laugh too loud, but it doesnt matter theyre an unasked blessing and a blessed curse they throw stones at your window at two in the morning you say its too late and you wont come down but they are full of the juice of persistence they know they can make you come around and even though you feel delirious you know you really cant get serious not with those young men, thats who I mean young men, so young and green are you shocked and surprised? are you scandalized? or are you, admit it, tantalized? they ask me what it was like in the sxties did I ever see The Beatles on LSD one minute theyre making me feel so young and the next as old as some redwood tree theyre big on rap and bands like Sonic Youth sounds just like noise to me if you want the truth oh God, did I really say that? I cant believe I said that I used to listen to The Fugs, and Hendrix and Frank Zappa! save me from those young men young and strong young men can dance all night long are you shocked and surprised? are you scandalized? or are you, admit it, tantalized? oh what would my feminist sisters think if they knew I consorted with younger fellas would they suspect me of reverse exploitation while secretly feeling just a wee bit jealous I called an older male friend and I cry I say Ive fallen for this wonderful guy but hes just twenty-three and its such a drag the friend answers dryly, dont brag! older men with young women never had a problem its this other way round thats all so new I find myself doing pathetic arithmetic when Im forty-nine, hell be thirty