Ode to men’s mental health

LIFESTYLE

June is Men’s Mental Health Month. Our in-house poet joins the discourse on the topic.

KINGS I got caught off guard the other day Got asked a question that left me blank for a minute, I didn’t know what to say See, this girl came up to me and said, “Dylan, what’s a girl’s biggest mistake?” And I said, “What do you mean?” She said, “I mean when it comes to guys, where do we go wrong? Is there something we don’t see?”
And it took me a couple of minutes to think about what that question meant to me Before I said, “Men are like rocks jutting out of canyon walls, or ice bergs floating at sea “There’s a lot more to a guy that’s left unseen“More than you could even believe.”

And I could tell that I’d started to pique her interest And I knew it wasn’t the best Way to break the news Even if it wasn’t breaking news They were more like hidden clues To the truth behind the eyes of the man you think is strong, all the while his heart is singing the blues I said to her, “Guys are the most misunderstood.”
And if you could try to understand then you should You should try And maybe it is rude to pry But know that almost every smile on his face is a boldfaced lie

Someone once said that women are the most dramatic Said that they’d been built that way, that they had a right to be erratic Claimed that their behaviour was systematic Because their emotions are all over the place sometimes – it’s a biological thing.
But has anyone ever paid any mind to a man’s mental wellbeing?
Tried to factor in The emotional state that he may be in?
No. Maybe that’s why he got so good at acting So good at pretending to be alright today That you don’t see the way He struggles to pray Biting his tongue, trying to find the right words to say That he’s in a lot of pain But will they understand No So… he learns to be silent in the end

He might not have grown up right or fair Going home to a branch in his tree of terror An emotionally abusive mom and an alcoholic father An absentee parent or two and no strong arm or shoulder A parent with a discipline method bordering on torture Sometimes he’s just a scared child hiding in a corner But who does he tell That he’s living in his own personal hell?
And if they know, what will they do then?
So he learns to be silent in the end

And it gets worse when he’s in love He trains his mind to shove All his emotions and thoughts aside Learning to deal with this new tide This new type Of feeling Some people don’t see it, but when he’s in love he’s walking on the ceiling So much that when that first love breaks his heart, it leaves him reeling He has more trouble healing Then parts of him start breaking And that ability to trust he had built – how many years had it taken That trust that’s probably his biggest strength has been shaken He’s never the same again But does that even matter to them? So he learns to be silent in the end

That silence is just a dam waiting to be broken It’s a spillway waiting to be opened He’s been bottling everything up and hoping That it all goes away Take your pain in silence; be a man, they’d say Misleading stereotypes that make you think he can’t feel

Hard as stone – the man that’s not real Always questioning his self-worth Destined to find his own way since the moment of birth.
Culture and society told him what was “right” and what was “wrong” So he tried to prove that he was strong I’m not trying to justify every punch or blow he has thrown at you For every insult or tantrum, there is no excuse I just need you to understand that he’s human too

Now, I could tell she was mulling it over Like a drunk just now coming to terms with being sober But then she said, “You still haven’t answered my question.”
To which I replied, “Your mistake is you always turn to another female for suggestion.”
You went searching for cheat codes from your mother For a game that’s played daily by your brother Things you could’ve asked your father…But instead you ran to your sister To understand your “enigmatic” mister

But you just made it worse And if you’re treating him as if he should only get emotional if he’s carrying a purse Your mentality is a curse If you’re of the sound mind that he doesn’t try to bend for you or run blind just to be by your side Then do not fret, your ignorance is not one of a kind If you’d only notice the lies that mattered You’d see the real man behind his shattered
gaze and then you’ll get to understand him better Learn to listen to him He’s still a wounded soldier looking for a win In the end, he’s a misunderstood boy playing a king
_thedreadybear