2015, revised 2026. (c)
When I told him
that our intercourse needed to be
more “vagina-focused”
he became implacable—
a scolded child.
I felt his feet dig in,
his muscles tense for flight.
By the time I was ready
to bed him again
he announced he had taken a vow
of celibacy.
He said he found no pleasure in it.
The act was empty.
I was empty.
My desire, he said
implied possession—
something he now meant to avoid.
Jesus, I thought.
The lengths some men will go
to avoid satisfying a woman.
