And the intention was not to offend or to espouse or promote sexism or whatever B.S. has apparently been read into it.

The sad fact of the matter is that words are loaded with connotations, and they are not the same for every person. And I thank you for calling my attention to this particular image. This poem has been read & responded to in the hundreds, on several sites, and not one in the light that you have put forward.

The inference of virginity as to an exclusively female oppressive is not and has not been harped on even in the slightest allusion. And where the penis came from, I do not know. Males are virgins too, before their first time. What the reader reads into the poem is their issue & I can only be saddened that it has fallen flat for you and had taken a sudden, unsavoury twist.

The dynamic of currency changing hands is indeed an extension of humanity and its heart. So be it, if filth is brought into the picture - that in itself is an unapologetic observation of the darker & filthier side of human dealings. Those that deal in white slavery, drug trade, child abduction, war for gain, illegal trade, and even the innocent but smelly fish mong earring in an open air market, they all are human dealings.

Poetry cannot be immune to these or cloak it with rose-tinted verse. Which is why I will stand for the voice of freedom & its expression however & not allow my integrity of thought or exercise of free speech to be tainted or besmirched.

Again, there was no intention of or any mention of women or females in this poem. And if you had read that to be so, then the poem is true to what the world is out there. People treat each other as objects. And if the use of money reflects this, whether it is to buy the favour of a male prostitute or a female, is the same thing, immoral, degrading, and possibly even illegal in some states. To harp about females being the exclusive possessors of victimisation & objectification to the exclusion of all else is a very narrow minded & uncharitable view of males in general, the rest of humanity & the world.

Now, you have said your piece and I have said mine. Either way, it wasn't about harshness but about truth. Yes, I agree with you that you read into it what I have not intended or planted. But I thank you for your honesty and your politeness as not to attack, insult, or accuse me of being a mysoginist or a chauvinist. I hope in turn that you don't find my response harsh as well. You are entitled to not like something, yes, even my diction. Obviously there are words and catch phrases that serve as triggers for you. It's like saying bomb or terrorist in an aeroport or aeroplane. I did not grow up in a politically correct era and that does not bother me. So, please, if there is anything you can take away with you by today's exchange, is that I have no intention maligning anyone, let alone women.

Please know as well that I am appreciative of your having come forward and expressing your concern in a civilised manner. That I can respect. I hope this misadventure does not affect our future encounters & our enjoyment of poetry, each others or of anyone else. Thank you, once again. I will be more mindful in future. I have forgotten how easy it is to step on toes and ruffle feathers.

Enjoy the rest of your week. And I will try to salvage the rest of mine.

(1) a person (male or female) .... No hymen required there. Nor prescribed in the recipe.
This calls to mind an old B&W film where the family of the newly wed was to be presented with bloodied sheets to prove chastity. Of course, for drama's sake there wasn't. So she bit her lip to draw blood and everyone was happy. Honestly, the things we put on people, as if life wasn't difficult enough.

The hymen is the symbol of innocence, naïveté, blindness to sophistication.
We break the veil when we come of age, a rite of passage, if you must.
It is like the eyes opened after biting into the forbidden fruit,
Or the scales falling off Saul's unseeing eyes. It is nether male nor female,
It is human, & touches on the border of divine. It should and I suspect originally was
the veil through which we cross over into true love.

Of course, as with many things once glorious. It is now tainted & accursed,
a rag & a worn concept, even offensive to some.

It is about money, the virginity of a newly minted or printed one was a mere metaphor.
Your instinct has not led you astray :-)