Pink Viagra

by Kathleen Murphey

Pink Viagra
For HSDD (hypoactive sexual desire disorder)—
Didn’t you know?
For women who don’t have more than three to four
sexually satisfying events (SSEs) a month.

Is lack of Libido in women sexual dysfunction
or pharmaceutical hype?

What if women just aren’t as interested in sex?
What if their partners just aren’t skillful at sex?
What if Porn has made their partners lazy and crass?
And what if they just need a crash course in sexual technique?

Yes, girls and boys, female pleasure takes more than a grope and a poke.
There is some skill involved, don’t you know?
And novelty too might be nice—
a different position,
What about dual masturbation—
where she can watch him and then he can watch her?
Or what about sex toys for girls and boys?
or an attempt at the G-Spot instead of the Clit—
does he even know the difference,
or where he might find them?
Does she?
What’s female ejaculation?
Do either of them know?

Pink Viagra
(flibanserin)
to be marketed as Addyi
(pronounced add-ee)
a drug approved with REMSs
(Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategies)
which means it’s a risky drug—
to be taken daily—not just before—
like the little blue pill.
that mixes badly with many common drugs women take,
that causes syncope or sudden loss of consciousness
and doesn’t raise SSEs levels very much.

So Pink Viagra?
Perhaps what we need is a simple
Feminization of Sex.

* * * * *

Kathleen Murphey is an associate professor of English at Community College of Philadelphia.  Recently, she has been writing fiction (both short stories and poetry) on women’s and social justice issues.  To learn more about her work, see www.kathleenmurphey.com.