Her wardrobes were full of designer clothes

That she knew she could not afford

Without the help of her credit cards.

Each Friday night a new skirt or dress

To make her latest lover impressed.

Every Sunday she would start afresh

As she realised that the latest one

Was nothing but a bore, not interested

In the long term, just the now and here.

On the shelf at eighteen is a terrible fear.

Her advice came thick and fast

From sex columnists in thousands of mag’s

That littered the floor, discarded

To chat lines on her latest computer,

All this money wasted to find her ideal suitor.

This vision is here for all to see.

When we places sex above love

A generation of people will come to think

That they will do anything and take no chance

To find their perfect mate, for a two day romance.

Ian D. Hall

First published in Searching For An Answer. 2003.