Thrills Poem by gershon hepner

Can there be thrills without soupcon
of fear, can sex in private places
be as exciting as the fun
of sex in public, where disgrace is
a risk sex gamblers like to take
to trump love made inside a closet?
With fear a thrill will raise the stake,
and risk the forfeit of deposit,
and since the fear gets less each time
the thrill occurs, new risks are taken
until they escalate to crime,
where thrills, like fear, are godforsaken.


Inspired by Dan Neil’s review of the Nissan GT-R (LA Times, April 16,2008, “Uptight, outta sight: a marvel of power and speed, the Nissan GT-R is so safe and serene that it is curiously lacking in thrills”) :

[F]for all it’s pants-ripping performance, the GT-R is surprisingly––amazingly––not all that exciting to drive. Oh yeah, there’s epic velocity here, and yet, because there is so much assurance, so many electronic layers of self-preservation, there isn’t much frisson or fear. Without fear there is no fun, which anyone who’s had sex in a public place can tell you…Despite the GT-R’s official nickname, “Godzilla, ” it’s more like 2 tons of fluffy kitten.

4/16/08