Gate C22

I love Ellen Bass' poem Gate C22, the celebration of "mature" love. There is such a conceit that love, especially sexual love, belongs to just young people. During the student readings in my Creative Writing class many of the younger students write rapturously about their sexual experiences. And I get it, it is terribly important to them, as it is to me. Although, another non-traditional student and I laugh that the younger students would probably gag if we wrote about our latest sexual experiences. But if I could frame my words to tell my story the way Bass does, I sure would do it. When she writes of "lavish kisses" with the whole world watching, you hold your breath along with the all the other watchers in the airport, feeling envious of the lovers. It's really nice to see a depiction of mature love that isn't a commercial for Cialys or Viagra.