Masturbation

Courage, a Tale

 

There was a Child

who heard from another Child

that if you masturbate 100 times it kills you.


This gave him pause;

he certainly slowed down quite a bit 

and also kept count.


But, till number 80,

was relatively loose about it.

There did seem plenty of time left.


The next 18 

were reserved for celebrations,

like the banquet room in a hotel. 


The 99th time 
was simply unavoidable.

Weeks passed.

And then he thought

Fuck it it's worth dying for, 

and half an hour later

the score rose from 99 to 105. 


Thom Gunn (1929-2004)
 
from Jack Straw's Castle, 1976