Once upon a time monks allowed women
to visit Mount Athos.

But the monks became too distracted
as non-monkish men would as well.

I can understand this as an old, womanless recluse:
Women distract me too.

But not as much as they must have havoced
the minds and the holy intentions of celibate monks.

Though sometimes when I venture of of my quasi monastic solitude
and see women in grocery and department stores

I find myself faced with the distractions of all the lovely women
blooming in the aisles and at the checkout counters

I begin remembering when I was young and with women
and how wonderful and magical my world was then.

For awhile, I pine over being without one of those beautiful distractions
and briefly wish I had one now despite being old and living like a monk.

Bob Boyd