Part 1: Disregard the Man
Euphoria with every breath?
He’s underwater waiting for his lungs to fill.
Four of five are men
But she’s the one they cry for.
Men’s corpses sink.
From weights that couldn’t be lifted.
Men, too embarrassed to ask for help, too hurt to live.
“Those weren’t real men.” “It’s their fault!” “They weren’t strong enough.”
The men drowned
And the bodies rotted.
While the passersby held their breath.
Part 2: The Cycle
The boy was taught to treat girls kindly.
Because he was born into a man’s role.
While the girls were taught what to expect from men.
And the women made the boy apologize for being born.
So the boy drank at the bar, cowering from his son who needed to cry
Like his father had before him.
But he drank his tears away,
Like his father had before him.
And right before him lay his father’s corpse.
The boy repeated his father’s last words in his head. “I see you.”
Tears dripped onto the father’s blank face.
“ICU,” the boy repeated.
The boy’s gaze shifted from his father’s face
To the direction his father faced.
He drowned in his tears.
Matching a shade of the oceanic sign
which read, “ICU,”
“Intensive Care Unit, section five, room two.”
Gabriel Kang is a ninth grade writer and aspires to become a professional rock climber. At Ruth Asawa SOTA, (currently majoring in creative writing), the lesson plans are currently covering poetry. Through this group, he’s learned to create and grow his own writing voice and has been actively getting stronger as a writer. While in rock climbing, he attends nationals every year, competes in open categories, and is always challenging himself. Through rock climbing, he relieves his stress and takes action towards his goals, while also further enhancing his writing skills from the creativity and growth mindset the sport provides.
“So he drank his tears away, like his father did before him.” Powerful insight into a pressure-cooker role with no escape valves. Or is that what football is for? Anyway, thank you for a closer look at the trials and drawbacks of rigid machismo.
Do women really make a boy apologize for being born? I’d hate to think this is a universal trait– I celebrated the birth of all three of my sons. But there are definitely gender inequality issues, especially in the workplace. Perhaps men feel blamed for a situation they didn’t personally cause. I’d love to see you expand on this line.
Men and women are marked by the time they are born for the roles they have to play. Unless conversations, discussions are had around such issues with regards to the serious mental health problems and issues of men. I worry for the youth, young kids becoming addicted to social media with consistent and constant exposure to smartphones and social media platforms. Communication is important. Mindfulness. Meditation. To deconstruct the stigma this is an important mindset to have. We must engender having loving relationships, more connection in the family household between father and son. It’s tough when you come from a broken family but it can be done by finding connections with people who support you. A loving family is important. We need to be effective listeners as women and not see men as weak when they cry or want to talk about their feelings.