Joan Mazza
Baculum
A woman in biology class, on learning
of the absence of a bone in the human penis,
blurted, But it felt like a bone! Though
we call an erection a boner, a hard-on,
I’ve always thought all penises were boneless,
turgidity only from blood flow. Imagine
my shock on learning of my innocence
that all mammalian penises have bones
(including gorillas and chimpanzees), but
not humans or spider monkeys. This word
I’ve never heard before, this bone exists in
cats and dogs to help maintain erections,
ensure reproductive success. I majored
in biology, was certified a sex therapist.
Why would humans not hold on to this smart
trick of evolution? On eBay, you can buy
these curved bones of raccoons, or as gag gifts:
toothpicks for mountain men, some strung
into shapely necklaces. How did I not know
this fact until now, at nearly seventy?
What vats and vessels could be filled
with information I don’t know
and don’t know I’ve never heard of.
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