What Men Want
A man wants to move
with cat-like grace
through his life, spill his seed
occasionally, but never
bear responsibility for it;
win the love of his peers
and the veneration
of the older men while
commanding the respect
of the young Turks, too;
then, finally, at the end,
lean a still-powerful forearm
on the frame of a window,
gaze out over the sea
one last time and flick
a glowing cigarette butt
into the garden.
— James Cummins