Men Do Not Cry

By Beverly Martin.

One of the best parts of this journey of healing and discovery is the people I’ve met and the moments that make your heart skip a beat. The men and women who open their hearts and souls to share their experiences. Some of the moments which touched my heart was seeing men who had never truly shown emotion before really let go and watching men embrace one another the way women do without giving it a second thought. The world is changing and how lucky we are to be here to see it.......

Men do not cry

This is what boys were told By heroes and teachers And men who’d grown old Men do not cry It will make you look weak Said mothers and fathers Not a tear must you leak Boys play with footballs With guns and toy cars Go camping and fishing Sleep under the stars Boys must be warriors Must be tough and be strong Like their fathers before them Must never do wrong For many a boy These rules were so tough Not every young boy Wants to play rough Some want to dance Some want to sing Back then being different Was not a good thing Boys must join clubs Become a good scout For some boys this was hell Quite a few I don’t doubt Boys must be sporty Be fast when they run Be fierce when they box Make it look like great fun For some boys it’s easy To be all these things For the boys that struggle The pain of it stings When boys get older When they grow into men The pressure of life Gets much bigger again Get a job Pay the bills Put the food on the table Get married Have kids Be strong and be stable Men do not cry They remember this well From parents and leaders This untruth they did sell But for men who were boys Boys told men do not cry To unlearn these words Is like learning a lie Men do not cry Carved deep in the soul Of a man once a boy Just playing a role Men do not cry Says the voice in his head As a tear hits his pillow While laying in bed

Men do not cry The story so old When he was young It was all he was told Time, it has passed In the blink of an eye Men do not cry He now knows is a lie For the man once a boy Boy told men do not cry Met a girl with a heart Who made his soul fly She broke all the rules With her free roaming spirit They laughed and they cried They took life and they lived it Years have gone by He’s a father now too That man once a boy He now knows what is true Men do not cry He never will say He can’t say the words he heard Day after day As he watches his wife While she comforts their son The longing he feels Like the wound of a gun As his son sobs his heart out And tears fall like rain, Men do not cry No, not ever again When the child falls over Or cuts his knee He cries and he cries His soul, it is free He plays on his bike He plays in the sand He’s often been seen With a doll in his hand What does it matter Why must men not cry Asks the man once a boy boy told Men do not cry To this there’s no answer No truth to be told Men should cry proudly With pride, break that mould As his son gets older So much he has learned About life and emotions How respect must be earned To lead with authority Lead with love and not fear To hold loved ones close To know what is dear As he looks back on life At his wife and his son His heart filled with joy He feels like he has won Now the man once a boy Boy told men do not cry With them both by his side On the day he would die The words he will leave That he wants to be heard Is men can cry freely To not cry is absurd Set your soul free Let your heart over flow Let your sons play with dolls Just allow them to grow This lifetime is short Like a beautiful dream Make love, laugh and cry Nothing is what it seems.

by Beverly Martin. © Beverly Martin