Yeah, I know sometimes things may not always make sense to you right now.
But hey, what daddy always tell you?
Straighten up little soldier
Stiffen up that upper lip
What you crying about?
You got me...
Did you recognize this intro? This is the intro of Eminem's song called 'Mockingbird'. In my opinion he is one of the best rappers out there, not because everybody says so, but because his words strike me! This intro is so important to me, because it inspired me to write a poem about the way some fathers treat their sons. The way men (in general) are expected to act and behave in situations: tough, sporty, fearless, you name it.. I admit, boys have some sort of difficulty to expres their emotions. My message: boys and men are allowed to be scared and vulnerable sometimes, to expres their emotions, because we are just humans after all. Think about it, how often do you get told to be tough, sporty, fearless, etc. To be something you really don't want to be.
Straighten up
soldier
“Dad?”
“How is it
that boys never cry in public?”
When I asked
that question my dad frowned.
He stood up
and moved his arm very quick.
With a sore
feeling I fell on the ground.
He had dumped
me like a useless brick.
I opened my
eyes and touched my bleeding lip.
Warm cheeks,
wet eyes and flabbergasted,
I realized my
question was worth the fist.
Don’t ask,
don’t tell is the policy for boys.
Tackle
obstacles, clear the path is what we do.
Talk big,
show no fear and make our own choice.
Runaway.
Hideaway.
“Dad?”
“Why do boys
have to hide their emotions?”
I never got
an answer to this question.
My father couldn’t
think in slow-motion.
He couldn’t
put his feelings into words,
went outside
to buy a gun and pulled the trigger.
I don’t know
how to react when it hurts.
My emotions
only crave for a father-figure.
Don’t ask,
don’t tell is the policy for guys.
Straighten
up, get mad and use our muscles.
Laugh away
the pain and cover them with lies.
Runaway.
Hideaway.
“Dad?”
“How do boys love?”
He turned his
back towards me.
Liquor and
drugs became my remedy.
Runaway.
Hideaway.
Why do boys always have to
straighten up as soldiers?
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