Young Men

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