Maybe it is weak to speak.
An ode to the boys who never lived to be men.
"It's not weak to speak." Maybe it is weak to speak. To sit across from another man, baring the depths of your soul— more than this world would ever teach us is safe— seeking nothing more than a tight hug in response. Maybe in a world of strong men killing themselves we need more weakness; tender connections and soft words acceptance. love. forgiveness. Maybe tough love was never love at all— rather, a faulty inheritance that our parents mistook for virtue. Maybe with more weakness— less rocky responses and muscular expectations, that boy you went to school with might have lived to be a man. Maybe, it is weak to speak. Maybe, weakness is exactly what men need. -S-2024 (Revised 2025)
My son, as far as I know, has never literally attempted suicide, but there are just so many many facets of his nature and personhood that he has buried. I pray that one day, if he were to read your poem, Sean, he would see it as a welcome invitation.
Maybe, weakness is exactly what men need. 😢Yes, I think you are right Sean.