Crying to Become a Man

For all the men, who showed me how to be a man

Growing up,

I always thought it was weak for boys to cry.

I mean, through countless beatings,

and many a argument,

I’ve weeped and weeped, and weeped,

yet there was always some social construct

inside that said,

“Isaiah, you’re weak.”

And it wasn’t until I bawled

at my grandmother’s funeral,

in front of my grandfather and uncles, 

that I accepted that as fact. 

I was weak.

So I picked myself up,

and promised to never cry again,

especially in front of a man.

And I failed, rarely, yet I still failed.

Every time, I kept telling myself

to remain strong, not even realizing

how strong I already was.

And it wasn’t until I saw,

a slave cry for his freedom,

a brother cry for inclusion,

a father cry over his son’s corpse,

a man cry about his life,

that I began to understand.

And if it wasn’t for a mentor

forcing me to stop avoiding my emotions,

I would’ve never came to a conclusion:

They say that men cry when they have been strong for too long,

but I say,

They cry when they are just beginning to develop their full strength.

© Prophet in The Making, 2017