Forgetting To Cry
I wrote this poem in response to an insulting commentary on men made recently by Fox News pundit Candace Owens.
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I've forgotten how to cry.
I used to shed a lot of tears
through the trials and tribulations
of my younger years. But nowadays,
whenever my heart breaks
from the pain of losing a loved one,
or feel lost, frightened, and alone
with no one or nowhere to turn to,
the tears never come at all.
And I wonder--is this normal?
But I suppose that it's all
for the better. They say that men
aren't supposed to cry. It's seen as
weak, un-masculine, queer.
No woman would ever want
to bear a child from a man with
honest tears streaming down his cheeks
and his heart on his sleeve.
We men, we manly men,
are expected to present a rock-hard
exterior of strength and security
at all times for our women
and children. We are the providers.
The protectors. The lovers. The fighters.
The killers. But if this is what
I was morally intended to be in this life,
then damn your morals to hell.
Yes, I am a man. I'm reminded of that
each time I look down to urinate.
But I am so much more than a man
with testosterone and sperm.
I am so much better than a man.
Or a woman.
I am a human being.
By George Anderson
From: United States