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Boys v Men
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Personal Favorites Boys will tell you what you want to believe
Men will tell you what you need to know
Boys say, ‘There’s always tomorrow for conquest’
Men say, ‘If it’s yours then battle! Earn everything!’
No doubt in acknowledging
in the depths of relationships and love
both boys and men make mistakes
But boys do harm
they mask the truth with slimy reason, and morph to suit
Boys treat love as a game, a battle of wits
While men love a woman the way they want to be loved
Men hear a conversation, they don’t merely listen
Men correct themselves because they believe in striving for something motivated and trustworthy
Boys condone placing another on a pedestal, as a treasure or as a trophy
Men offer a woman opportunity to feel mentally comfortable, secure, and respected
A boy’s love is a straight line
a standard sketch with a pencil - monochromatic, erasable
A man's love is an orbiting sphere
a cosmic sea of textured images in oil crayon for effect, depth, and value
Boys like to brag and make as much noise out of any hole from their body as possible
Men protect their own with wise tongue and sword when challenged
possessing a rightful demeanor, a sense of self
an unspoken sense of evident truths reinforced, entrenched within
Boys prowl for a conflict only as Poe would describe
as a raven would sharpen its beak on the body
empty minds with searing blood red eyes
and possibly a hint of Stolichnaya
Men see the fears of the future, dictating reality rather than manipulating cruelly for gain
Should man and woman be so fortunate to unite in heart and mind
let them flourish through mutual strength of character
and a wealth unrecognized by cash registers and ticker tapes
"...with wise tongue and sword..."
This dichotomy is well thought out, presented as maturity vs the road to maturity. Exceptionally well written, the "man" qualities and the "boy" qualities also apply to women. At Columbia, a friend was told that women must adopt androgenous actions to excel. It applies here. Also, in rhetoric, the theme is stated at the beginning and reiterated and expanded at the end. Full circle is a device. In poetry, I call it bookcasing. Enjoyed and learned - Thanks for the time invested in this art - Stella -
it's funny to reflect back on
it's funny to reflect back on this one because it only started as 3 couplets and has grown into what's on the site now..over the years I've added or adjusted lines here and there, pretty content with this one. Thanks as always :)
It's absolutely gorgeous.
It's absolutely gorgeous. Also, your profile picture makes me laugh every time I see it.
much appreciated - I've been
much appreciated - I've been editing and re-editing this one for a long time, keep writing
yea that pic's great haha, I'm the one on the far right
WOW
As a boy/man myself, I mostly agree with this. Though the part about bragging. I know plenty of guys are very hard on themselves and because of it they need approval from others. They may seem to brag inside, but they are not what everyone thinks them to be. I used to have a real problem of bragging because of my own need of acceptance I couldn't get myself. Hmm... Maybe a boy has self-un-acceptance issues, while a man in confident in his own actions. I think that would be a good edit/addition. I very much enjoyed this prose! It's thought-inciting literature!
- Zachariah
sorry for the (extremely) delayed response
I gave your words a lot of thought, I did do some edits with that part of the piece - if you get the chance to look it over, let me know if you notice the difference and what you think of it if you do, I respect your opinion
I agree with you, a man is somebody who is strong, confident, and even demonstrative at times
With that said..it's worth noting that a lot of the comparisons I wrote here are juxtapositions of myself at a younger age, comparing the 20-year old me to the 23-year old me to the 'current me'..and everybody in between (just turned 26 today in fact, ha) ...at 20, I was often the person who is the boy in this piece, I didn't know enough about what was in front of me and believe you me I paid a lot of dues to learn some of these lessons the hard way...but I've kept working towards being more like the man in this poem with the understanding that I'm not perfect, that I'm never going to be the pinnacle of all these characteristics, hell, I still try to make too much noise out of every hole in my body haha - but seriously the point is I'm just trying to 1) better understand the boundaries of what I know and should know about myself and 2) find a method to reach those boundaries as quickly as possible (and listen to other people's advice along the way, especially the people that love you)
I expect this poem to look completely different in 5, 10, 20 years - my only hope is that I find the answers that I need in time to keep writing with the same spirit I did when I originally wrote it, otherwise the message will lose it's integrity, and so will I..
But that's another story - thank you for the opinion, keep writing, and know that things will go better with a good heart...even sometimes a lot better than expected
"...images in oil crayon..."
The write suggests evolution from boy to man - not contrast or comparing, observation of where maturity is headed or should - a road map for youth. Bravo! Every line repeats the theme of becoming - men should tell boys what to seek, how to perfect, how the evolution is a process; and this does it exceptionally well. Double Bravo ~ Star ~
Couldn't have said it any
Couldn't have said it any better myself, allets :) The evolution is so drastic...yet so simultaneously gradual, thanks for giving this a look... hadn't read it in a while and was constructive to look back and review this one