BACHELOR

Lying down he thinks, having tried not to think,
Orpheus had better luck with women.
Not a complaint--a fact,
like the freezing point,
though it took time to learn:
magazines and massages reminded him
that, once, there had been someone,
but things happened--
it was hard to describe.
Anyway, the memory of her
may have improved by fading.
He finds comfort in this thought
as, on other nights,
comfort in thick socks, and in sleep.
Drifting off, he notes
that the pillow is cool,
that Orpheus had better luck with women.

--J.D. Smith