He is a man
I don’t have to compete for your attention
I don’t have to compete to prove I’m stronger
I don’t have to prove I’m a better lover
I don’t have to provide for you because of it
I was born a man
Unlike all you women, I was told not to show my emotions
I was told when I was hurt mentally , emotionally, or physically to walk it off and man up
All you women experienced love… while I had to just survive… alone
To understand my pain, you would have to walk a mile in my shoes
Though I don’t recommend it
Because we were born alone, grew up alone, worked alone, and even in families, we were alone
You judged us by our looks, our bodies , our jobs, our bank accounts,  and criticized our emotional maturity
Though if you had had to endure the road, we had to walk
You wouldn’t be here having this conversation with me. You would be dead
So the next time you look at a man and start to criticize him, remember  the life he has lived
Then have respect, for the path he  has  tread
The pain he has endured
As well as all the anguish he left unsaid
Just because
He is a man

An Original Poem by H.R Beebe