I’m settled on it.
There is, yes, there is
A Difference.

Between men and women,
Or women and men,
Take yer sequence as you will.

No, I don’t mean differences in
The obvious plumbing
And other paraphernalia,

Or even the more exaggerated movements
Of hands and arms and hips peculiar to each
(Although they may signify the difference I perceive)

No.

It’s a matter of necessary tolerance, in the male,
Of mood swings in the female
Without his feeling blame or duty.

It means him always, while in her presence,
Being on standby to offer some degree of response
To her random utterances, while trying single-mindedly
To pursue his own activities in the household.

I crave the company of men

Where tools are cleaned and put away
Immediately upon the completion of the task
(And almost all things are tools).

Where when one says he doesn’t want
To be interrupted until further notice ---
He isn’t.

Where the other does not make loud, unexpected noises
Even when encountering
An arachnid, insect or rodent.

(Maybe a bear warrants a loud noise.)

Where in conversation one stays, generally,
On topic until it feels completed,
Unless we agree to a brief brainstorm.

Maybe you get the picture?
I gets clearer as one ages

Yes, this is a lament,
But it is not as Professor Higgins says:
“Why can’t a woman be more like a man?”

Rather, this lament is:

“How can a woman reasonably expect
A man to behave like a woman
Until that spontaneous moment when
She wants him to behave like a man,
And vice versa.”

Whew!

I’m finished talking now.

I’m gonna take a walk.

01/10/2006

Posted on 01/10/2006
Copyright © 2026 Ronald A Pavellas