Juxtaposition
Am I a lesser man, if you see a tear
rolling down my age lined face?
You cant possible see the small,
hard, electric lump that threatens to choke
and crack my voice.
The one that sends chills to
the very core of my soul,
rolling ever outward
in the span of a single heartbeat.
This signal, for the mans man
to hide eternally in his
illusion of strength,
only to make him hold back
in hopes of another stereotypical image,
wearing the forlorn mask of hardness.
The one society deems as accepted.
But if the lesser man allows his
true emotions to bear evidence,
is he now, not the greater man?
For in him is the power to be able
to control both sides of the equation.
Isn’t the lesser man the one who
fails to understand that perhaps,
in a tear, you will see
the unblemished reflection
of that which would inspire.
Is a tear such a hard price to pay,
for the clarity and knowledge,
to strip the illusions of imperfections
forever limiting the other man?
Daily I live this paradox.
Damned if I do,
Damned if I don’t.
Copyright © Gordon Stahlsmith | Year Posted 2005
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