See them, the affectionate ones,
how they dawdle in the sun on watered lawns,
how they cast one shadow and call it love.
See the husbands playing at tennis,
shouting the scores, their smooth limbs
perfect in all proportions,
bobbing and weaving, winning or losing
weight and wives. Some knees are
bandaged to support their passion.
It is so important, they say,
knowing how to serve, not balking
when you swing, staying close to the line.
See the slender ladies with children
who look like themselves; they have married
these men with long vacations,
these summery people who know how
to do it, year after year,
how to find the time, the beautiful
houses on winking lakes, the friends
with even more luck than themselves,
the words to endear them each to another.