Sex Without Love by Sharon Olds

The questioning rather matter-of-fact tone ("How do they do it...") becomes an acid indictment of people's vanity, selfishness and egocentricity. The speaker sees them as motherless orphans who in turn are like religious zealots who solipsistically worship themselves, as the fountainhead of the god of pleasure. The cold sporting metaphors (ice-skating, marathon running) are meant to capture, and contrast with, the athletic performance of strenuous sex, which she represents with tender humor ("come to the come to the God come to the..."). The representation of orgasmic intensity, which should also (and this is the speaker's point) represent the affectionate bonding between two partners, contrasts sharply with the medico-technical language of heart rate and best time. Instead of treating the lover as an end, some people treat her as a means. This slight gives rise to the speaker's indignation and vitriol.