Manhood

[fierce pecan]

I’m not a man like I should be.
I can’t change a tire,
Didn’t spend Saturdays doing yard work with my dad.
I’ve never worn a suit,
Or even a tie.
I’ve never heard my voice crack and squeak in middle school.

I’m fragile. I’m tired. Hurt.

But I’m also gentle, and warm.
I’m a man in the way that my father held me as a child.
I’m a man in the way my uncle cried for his father.
In the way that the warm summer sun wraps you in its warmth after a hard night.

So maybe I’m not a man like I should be,
Not rugged, not sharp.
But I’m a man nonetheless.

[pine venture]

I definitely resonate with this because I am a short skinny man with a twinkish frame who was never good at sports

[pine venture]

And i'm a germaphobe

[fierce pecan]

I’m so glad you relate! I’m a trans man, but I wanted this to be able to reach other guys too.

[pine venture]

Yeah! We have had different experiences, but we are both men in the way the big muscular tire changing men are too. Your poem was nice because it showed validity in the human experience and an effort to abandon stereotypes.

[frank marsh]

I love this poem because I relate to it sm like people always try to fit men into boxes and even as a gay man people try to fit me into some stereotype for being in touch with my femininity. Great poem!

[pine venture]

Yeah people don't like it when others are out of the box. But that is what makes someone an individual. You are doing the world a favor by being yourself.

[frank marsh]

Yes I love being a reject of society 💖

[pine venture]

Yeah which is funny because most of the people who have had a real impact on culture and society have been social outcasts, such as kurt cobain, david bowie, etc.

Who we all look to are people who are different from everybody else. The ones who are irreplicable.