Monday, July 6, 2009

Jennifer Ethington - Ode to a Young Man in a Button-Down Shirt

Today we have a poem by Jennifer Ethington. It's a very cool reversal of traditional gender roles. Speaking of which, if anyone is going to the bakery could they pick me up some real gender rolls? The ones with cinnamon sugar please.


Ode to a Young Man in a Button-down Shirt

You make me want to do things that are stupid

Irresponsible

Driven by primal things

Subconscious things

That dirty bastard thing called “urge.”

I want to grind on you in uncatholic ways

Make you realize just how expert you are not

I want to hurt you

And not care if you enjoy it

I want to hear a knock on my door

And know

Just know

It’s you on the other side.

But you’d be stupid

And naïve

To think you’d walk away easily

You are blissfully unaware of the knot

You are hurtling toward

Thinking you can save me

From what? Myself?

Other men?

You mistake love and lust

One for another.

You’ll get caught up, little boy

You think you can just amble in,

Amble out,

No problem.

But one foot at a time

You’ll get stuck

Until you’re ensnared and can’t move.

Or maybe you’re stupid enough to think

I am the one who couldn’t walk away.

Perish it.

You fail to notice that I’ve been in control

All along.

I’ve played in ball games bigger and harder than this one

And I’ve conquered the field, Babe Ruth-style.

See, I play to win,

But,

Unlike you,

I don’t need the game.

5 comments:

  1. i really loved this. great job.

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  2. I loved it too! Jennifer Ethington thank you :).

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  3. she's full of crap. says this to every man to keep them with her at arms length. she'll
    ' keep you close but not to close. promise you heaven if you submit. then burn you if you get too close. she's good with words thats how she traps you in her web. then pisses all over you to her friends so you're her joke. laughing with her friends. she has 10 more like me.

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  4. i think the comments should be related to the poem, not to miss ethington as a person...clearly you are bitter. seek therapy.

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  5. get a life mate. i think your comment says more about you (and i know who you are) than it does about Ms E. Most people acquire self restraint as they grow up. this obviously didn't happen in your case. If the only way you can get at her is to publicly attack her i think you should do as the previous person said as seek help.

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