Famous Last Words Week 7

Tough Young Man

"John Wayne portrait" by Howard_Hawks'Rio_Bravo_trailer_(26).jpg: Trailer screenshotderivative work: Liorek (talk) - Howard_Hawks'Rio_Bravo_trailer_(26).jpg. Licensed under Public domain via Wikimedia Commons - http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:John_Wayne_portrait.jpg#mediaviewer/File:John_Wayne_portrait.jpg

You tough young man,
Rough and tumble grass stained jeans,
You play your games,
“I’m the Cowboy, you be the Indian,”
You run, you jump, you fight, and you fall,
Dry those eyes because men don’t cry,
Rub some dirt in it and dust yourself off,
Be a man,
Be a man,
Be the man that we’ve been told to be,
Drink your milk and grow up strong,
Being a man,
Being a man,
Being the man that you are supposed to be is for you to decide,
It’s ok to cry when it hurts,
Some pains hurt in places you create,
And it is ok to cry,
Shhhhhh keep those things to yourself,
Bundle em up and hide them away,
Throw away the key,
I said bottle em up and watch them shake,
Shake, shake, and shake,
Until they explode on whoever wishes to take a drink,
On the woman you love sips your insecurities,
But you don’t care,
All you know is how to be a man,
Be a man,
How to be a man that has never been taught how to care,
What does it mean to be a man?
On your throne with your crown you’re a king,
Your queen subject submitted,
Object objectified walking ten steps behind,
And it’s ok because that is what they advertise,
A sexualized identity you must dominate,
Absent of thoughts, wants, and needs,
You damage them one, then two, then three, and so many more,
A cycle of daughters for generations to destroy,
Is this what it means to be a man?
Of this I am unsure for sure,
I do know I cry,
I think about my son,
Don’t be as insecure as the men they want you to be,
Tell me your thoughts, your hopes, and your dreams,
Leave those tears alone, it’s better to let them fall,
Let me dust you off and give you a hug,
Be a man,
Be a man,
Be a man and tell me what is wrong,
I can help you if you share why you’re feeling this way,
Unravel, unlock, and open up,
Being a man that knows how to be a man,
A man that posseses only himself,
Knowing it’s okay to walk behind,
Falls in love with,
Her heart,
Her mind,
And not his eyes,
Tough young man with your grass stained jeans,
To be strong you must hurt learning to cry leaving others unharmed,
Because this is what it means to be a man.




Author's Notes
I wrote this as the other part of my last poem because I think we have a real problem with how we force young children into gender roles. I think it is ok to be a tough guy as long as that is just one part of who you are, and not your complete identity. I think that as young men we are never taught how to deal with our emotions and that we are shown images of what it means to be a man, along with negative images of those men and the way they treat women. This is terrible thing and I would like to see a more well rounded approach in the way we teach children to handle their gender roles in society because by doing this we will be able to create a society in which people can be equals.