Far From Easy to Be a Man

It's hard to be a man
to take a stand
with chest extended proudly
fists extremely clenched
ready to fight
and then to turn around
and bury your face in those hands,
now open and welcoming,
and cry an ocean of tears

So hard to follow the instinct
to push forward
to succeed
to compete
to conquer
to win win win
and then to turn around
and notice the way the light falls
on the autumn leaves
or the fragile beauty
of the first spring flower

It's so hard to feel the surge
of masculine energy
all that power to inflict pain
and to restrict it
contain it
when you fear it
the first time you hold
your newborn in your arms
and are afraid you'll break it

So hard to wake up next to a woman
who fills your world
with music and light
and more incredible beauty
than you could ever imagine
and to lie there
watching her sleep
and try to find the words
(and there are no words)
to express your love for her