boys are supposed to be the pillar of strength in an otherwise spineless society. it seems without men, the earth will stop spinning and civilization as a whole will collapse. i guess stereotypes are safe.
i know a boy. his biggest brag isn’t his bench press, or that he’ll one day rule the world with his obviously superior intellect. no, he’s seventeen years old, and he tells me he hasn’t cried in five years.
maybe there wasn’t a grin on his face, but my mind had submersed with the great stretch of time. does he feel sadness, i wonder? what happened to him? what made him resort to such an empty empathy? he’s seen things i can’t fathom. images of blood kissing asphalt; bodies tangled in metal and nature; the screams of death as he carries away another hapless victim. and yet, not a single drop of remorse. the devastation of the event strangled his sanity and suddenly, there was no need for tears anymore.
it’s just a memory, he strains. it does nothing.
nothing?
i don’t even think about it anymore.
is there strength in apathy? i don’t think so. if giving up my right to drown my cheeks in sorrow means being a man, then i want my apron now. because i can’t imagine floundering in a world in a patriarchy where emotion doesn’t exist. if death doesn’t stir a soul, a man, then i can’t imagine what would.
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1 comment:
your reading in class today was amazing! I love that your not afraid to "go for it" in your poems, they are very real and relatable. As always your diction is WOW!! My favorite part of the whole poem is the simple line .."I know a boy" that just stands out to me because your other lines are so intricate, and something this simple can be so powerful!
Your Friend,
Stace
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