Love On The Internet Poem by David McLansky

He:
I really think it's only fair
We exchange our vows en plein air
For I am old and you are young
And you say you love me for my tongue;
I have an old and grizzled face
My movements lack a young man’s grace;
And since you love me for my words
And corporal love be quite absurd;
Let this be a meeting of two minds
Since you insist that I be kind,
Let us banter on the net
Lest I in love too soon forget
That I am old and you’re a youth
And I be charged with child abuse.


She:
I’m happy that you can’t resist
To have a loving verbal tryst;
You do not seem as one who’s old,
For if you are you’re not yet cold;
Your mind has such a lively flair
It makes me doubt your claimed gray hair;
Soon I will be twenty-eight
I’m not so young that you can’t date;
It’s sad our years are so displaced,
But loving you is no disgrace;
For there is sweetness in you line,
I’ve often iseen it often-times;
You have a ready, handsome wit,
I so enjoy all that you’ve writ;
So come my man too old to dance,
Pursue me with wild romance;
And if you get too out of breath,
Why lean your head upon my breast.



He:
For your sake I’ll harken back
Recalling what today I lack;
Once more I’ll be a naïve youth
And think your lips bespeaks the truth;
I see your hair of orange oak
A shyness left when aft’ you’ve spoke;
I see a girl of pale white skin,
Softly freckled, petite and thin.
I see amazement in your eyes
Where all about you humor lies;
I hear a voice, it’s laugh a treat;
A bubbling laugh heard on the street;
A mind that’s young and innocent;
A heart that’s full of merriment.


She:
Forgive me if I laugh out loud,
I’m glad you see me in the clouds;
For never have I been called petite
If you had seen me on the street;
Politely I’m called well-packed, big boned,
My hair is blond and neatly combed,
I am what’s called stout and robust,
I have an ample, cleavaged bust;
You could get lost between my breasts,
I’d smother you if I too hard pressed;
I am a robust Amazon,
And with lust fair to look upon.




He:
For Art I’ll be your mentor, guide,
To cross the chasm to my side;
For while Time does scowl and leer,
Angry at our lack of fear;
We’ll certify what is important
Love must not lay too long dormant
It needs expression every day
For what is love but life at play;
And so across this electric wire
I’ll sing your verses filled with fire;
For if Time scoffs at our age division,
Sight unseen there’s no derision.

These modern girls in hot pursuit!
What does she want with this old coot?
I am a shy and refined man
Not used to women in command;
It makes me nervous so pursued,
Am I naïve and being used?
I’m not the last man on the earth,
I’m just a child not long since birth;
These modern gals, they are so bold,
Unlucky me, I am so old;
Next she’ll propose a rendez-vous
In Davenport or old St, Louis.



She:
The Gateway Arch, that's so symbolic!
What fun will have, how we will frolic;
We'll join together like Lewis and Clark;
We’ll explore Forest Park after dark;
We’ll tour all over that historic town;
In the morning, Cahokia Mounds,
In the afternoon, we’ll sample beer,
At Anheuser-Busch, it’s free my dear;
And in the evening, a paddle boat!
On the Mississippi, we will float;
We’ll gamble and we’ll hear the blues;
Don't be shy, take off your shoes!


He:
God give me the power to Marshall strength
Some women will go to any length,
My God, is Roselyn my Nicole?
Am I wheel chair bound looking old;
Nicole was sixty years his junior;
I’m just half of that if you believe the rumors;
God, just one more rash and ill-conceived fling;
Will oxygen I’ll have to bring?


She:
Don’t worry my dear
I give mouth to mouth
I’m shopping for clothes
Before heading South;
Just say the word
And I’ll hop a plane;
I have a cure
For your aches and your pains;
All that you need
Is Love’s resuscitation;
And that’s simply a matter
Of good presentation;
So have your man servant
Pack up your grip;
You’ll need all your energy
For our trip.


He:
I called the gnome
At Travelocity;
All he did
Was laugh at me;
He claimed that
He was a sage
And reminded me that
“She’s half your age.”

She:
Since when does love depend on votes?
Oh I should have been more remote;
I should have been more hard to woo;
But I was so inspired by you;
I didn’t mean to make you gasp
Too soon I gave my hand to clasp;
As a rule I am a prude,
I must admit I acted lewd;
My fault is that I am too fond,
Your qualities make me respond;
Your honesty, your deep compassion,
(In younger men, so out of fashion ;)
But most of all your sparkling wit,
Arouses me, its so exquisite;
It is through your work that I’ve come to know you,
Sheer quantity does so expose you;
Your grief, your loves, your subtle sadness,
Your integrity when penned by madness;
Your joy, your range of human knowledge,
Garnered not just from books at college;
Your poems have painted a living portrait
As if I met you at a bash at corporate;
I shall in the future act more demur
My motives are so innocent and pure;
You’re right to be cautious on the net;
You really don’t know me yet;
While I know you so very well,
Give me time, and time will tell.


He:
Your kindly diplomatic skills
Soothes my fears and deft fulfills
My expectations that I formed
In knowing you though not as long
As you know me in reading my
Poetic diary which I let lie
Open on the world wide web
As if I put it down beside my bed.
Thank you for your kindly thoughts
So artful in the way they’re wrought;
All loves in newness overwhelms itself
And stumbles clueless in shock and stealth,
Alarmed to find its hopes fulfilled
In a world thought harsh and shrill.
Let’s take a breath and renew are search
For one another on this earth;
For if staring longer in your eyes
Rewards us with a love that’s prized,
Our efforts in such exploration
Will resolve all doubts and hesitation
And then can have that consummation
That exceeds all dreams of delectation..


She:
You draw a veil across my shame,
My enthusiasm made me appear inane;
The gentle way you dealt with it,
Makes you all the harder to resist;
In the future I’ll be more coy
But I fear this won’t work as a ploy,
Since I revealed to my shameless ardor
And my intentions which I harbor;
We could of course discuss the weather
And not about when we’ll get together;
Do you believe in global warming?
From my window I see rain clouds forming;
Religious people call these “The Last Days.”
And think we’ll die from ultra-violet rays;
This has something to do with the ozone;
People will have to stay at home;
We’ll that about exhausts that topic,
The Mid-West will become just like the tropics;
How are things in New York City?
I hope I don’t sound lame and giddy;
How many times have you been married?
Don’t answer that if you feel harried;
I myself have been married once,
To a cowboy, boy was I a dunce;
He wanted to live on the reservation;
We almost succumbed to real starvation;
But that was when I was very young,
I can’t believe I was ever that dumb;
The one good thing, I had a boy;
He’s nine years old and my pride and joy;
I’m lucky that I’m one of ten,
My parents are alive and they help often;
I have a Masters Degree from College,
That in my family is not acknowledged;
“Who needs to know about the Middle Ages? ”
Says brother Dan who earns migrant wages;
I’m an Assistant Professor at the University
And working on my Doctorate Degree;
Well I have to go and teach a class;
How’s this for not going fast?
I’m writing my thesis on The Medici;
Have you ever been to Italy?



He:
When love chirps in the Spring
With every eager bird on wing;
With every sprouting green seedling
The Church bell ring is deafening

When love calls in the heat of Summer
As the bees do buzz and murmur
The sun in its zenith stings
As church bells ring, soft ding-a-ling;

When love speaks in the Autumn Fall
It’s raspy voice scarce heard at all
The brown/red leaves downward swing
As church belfries cry ting-a-ling;

When loves speaks in the Winter’s cold
Bare wires, the stark trees, dark and old,
The icy air hangs on everything
And church spires gong in summoning.


She:
All my life I’ve been a nurse
To injured things at their worst,
To restore them to their vibrancy;
It’s been a kind of thing for me;

Do not let cruel disrupting Time
Say that you will not be mine;
I’ll take you as you are you’ll find;
To the young you must be kind.