Presumably, it is there to make college students ask questions while providing amusement to the instructor. Written by A.R. Ammons, "Their Sex Life" is a witty, two-line poem that makes one think about sex and how an unfavorable situation can revolve around it. There are as many interpretations for this poem as there are people in the world, but these all combine into one, all-encompassing purpose: to demonstrate how many scenarios one can conceive in which sex can be detrimental. While the words in the poem are humorous and thought-provoking on their own, Ammons' choice of style, voice, imagery, and theme add to the quality. These components expand a simple two lines into a potential story. .
Initially, "Their Sex Life" gives the reader pause and is met with either a giggle or a raised eyebrow. When one is reading poetry, particularly from a text book, it is expected that there will be a certain length, which causes "Their Sex Life" to take the reader by surprise. With the short length, and the title being of similar length to the lines, "Their Sex Life" reads similar to a haiku; however, the poem does not follow a similar pattern or meter. In fact, the true structure of the poem is less obvious at first (Lehman). After further examination, one notices that the line, "One failure on" is written above, or on top of, the line, "Top of another" (Lines 1-2). This organization of lines is obviously intended by the author, and makes the poem take the shape of one person lying on top of another person, most likely having sex. Also of note, the words "on" and "top" are meant to go together in the context of the poem, yet Ammons places "top" beneath the first line. Given that "Their Sex Life" is a poem regarding the failure of the intercourse that takes place, it could be perceived as the participants failing to perform the act properly (Lehman).
