To be a man’s man, they say, Strong and silent, Guarded, like a fortress Whose walls never give way. But the mortar they use is fear, And bricks of shame they lay.

They hand us scripts with no pages for tears, With no room for doubt or dreams that dare To stray beyond the borders of their binary. Heteronormative lies woven tight, Like a suit too small, yet we’re told it fits right.

They tell us, “Be tough, be bold, Bury the soft, the tender, the cold.” As if manhood were a chainmail coat, Heavy on shoulders not meant to bear The weight of a world that teaches despair.

To be a man’s man, they preach, Is to love one way, one face, one form. But what of the love that breaks the mold? What of the heart that seeks the warmth Of a sun not bound by the sky they’ve sold?

Toxic is the brew they pour, Into our cups, into our souls, But we sip, we drink, we thirst for more, For acceptance in a world that tells us “Be this, or be nothing at all.”

But what if being a man’s man Means breaking free of the cage, Means speaking truth in the face of rage, Means standing tall in our own soft light, Unafraid of the darkness, unafraid of the night?

We are more than their narrow eyes can see, More than the labels they force us to be. We are men, yes, but more human still, With hearts that beat and minds that will Unravel the chains of this toxic spill.

So let us be men who are gentle, kind, Men who love with all their mind, Men who hold hands with fear and hope, Who walk through fire, yet never choke On the smoke of lies they’ve made us breathe.

To be a man’s man, we redefine, With strength that’s soft and love that’s wide, No longer trapped in a toxic rhyme, We’ll write our own song, and sing it with pride.