A Poem for the Boys in My Life

You don’t have to hide inside yourself,
origami emotions,
delicate paper folded into a vanishing point.
You don’t need to wear the mask of a superhero,
or walk in the lead-heavy shoes
you have been told make you a man.
They will say that ‘boys don’t cry’ — 
no, they will imply it — 
through the stories that infect the television screens,
and the questions they ask you,
but I have watched the pressure build in a cork-stopped bottle,
know the way a smile can feel like an obligation.
You don’t need to be ashamed
of voicing your vulnerability;
there is only so much your lungs can hold.
A golden exterior
can be cracked on the inside,
shining armor
is a cage,
but they will only say:
collect that emotion in a jar.
Bury it somewhere you won’t remember,
and if it breaks,
those shards will be your daggers;
better to draw blood than let them see you bleed.
They don’t tell you
your tears are raindrops;
you can let them tumble from your eyes
and watch the flowers grow.
I can’t promise I understand it all,
but I can see these words they have tattooed you with,
expectations repeating in your mind 
until you realize
you are the one speaking them.
Please realize
it is OK to be the one who says ‘no’.
I wish we lived in a world
that listened to who we are
instead of telling us.
I wish the world would understand
my struggles need not compete with yours.
We are not 
enemies.
Don’t be afraid to express yourself freely.
Don’t be afraid of being afraid.
Don’t be afraid to step outside of this box that was made for you.
You are the only one who can decide what makes you a man.