Just a Man?
I am a father, son.
I'm neither a mother,
I may not be your Dad
But I am a Father, and
I'll be what I am.
And maybe you only see a Man.
A Man has two feet
They are for standing
Not kicking.
Sometimes they're for walking,
As we might walk away
From unfixable problems
Or toward the goals we've set.
Sometimes they're for running
Into the battles we've chosen
Or to help the ones we love.
Sometimes they fail
Or they're taken from us.
But even if the body lacks
A Man has two feet.
A Man has two hands.
They are for building.
With them we build careers
And do the things worth doing.
We build up others,
Boys into men,
Girls into women,
And if we're lucky
Families with mothers.
Some hands are stronger than others
All lose strength with time
But our hands are for building.
Sometimes destruction’s required
To make room
So we can build safety for our loved ones.
But hands are for building.
A Man has a heart.
It is for feeling, and this requires courage.
It takes courage to love
Because with love comes pain.
It takes courage to be angry without hate.
Courage separates fear from action
And allows Men to be
Good.
Moreover, it turns heart into kindness
Only the courageous express.
A Man has eyes
No Man is so blind as to lack vision.
He sees how things are,
How they could be
Hhe chooses
The Man he becomes, and
The world He creates.
A Man has a mind.
As with all his tools,
He works to sharpen it
He knows it's insufficient.
He's aware it's limited.
So he's careful about thought
What he seeks and chooses
Because
Whatever we choose
Whatever aims we make
And whatever intentions we have
Our choices are limited by the mind.
And as with other tools
It can only do well
What we've built it to.
A Good man aligns his gifts to a purpose.
He builds and feels
Stands firm with vision
Courageously walks forward despite fear
And builds integrity in the character of
His actions, choices, thoughts, and words.
I do not know how to be a woman
Nor mother
Nor other than who I am.
I don't speak to how they become
Nor how they love.
And this is the culmination--
To be a Man is to
Know boundaries within and without
To live within them,
Even as they grow.
To struggle against weakness
To grow strength
To know what can be done, and its cost.
To sacrifice of himself before hurting others
To weigh action against inaction
Necessity against desire.
It hurts to be a Man.
So if you see me as just a Man
I am honored.
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