The Poetry of Sex

The Poetry of Sex, an anthology, edited by Sophie Hannah is published by Penguin on 30 January. Not all the poems are about Daniel Craig, only two appear alongside poems by Catullus and Andrew Marvell’s 17th century plea To His Coy Mistress. Message by Wendy Cope, below, is a funny plea to her lover to hurry up and get on with it while they still have their own teeth.

Pick up the phone before it is too late

And dial my number. There’s no time to spare-

Love is already turning into hate

And very soon I’ll start to look elsewhere.

Good, old-fashioned men like you are rare-

You want to get to know me at a rate

That’s guaranteed to drive me to despair.

Pick up the phone before it is too late.

Well, wouldn’t it be nice to consummate

Our friendship while we’ve still got teeth and hair?

Just bear in mind that you are forty-eight

And dial my number. There’s no time to spare.

Another kamikaze love affair?

No chance . This time I’ll have to learn to wait

But one more day is more than I can bear-

Love is already turning into hate.

Of course, my friends say I exaggerate

And dramatize a lot. That may be fair

But it is no fun being in this state

And very soon I’ll start to look elsewhere

I know you like me but I wouldn’t dare

Ring you again. Instead I’ll concentrate

On sending thought waves through the London air

And, if they reach you, please don’t hesitate-

Pick up the phone.