LITERARY: Tolinity by Axel Adame

Classification: Poetry

Theme: Toxic masculinity

Synopsis: I cry, and I'm not that tough. I am fragile and vulnerable. Does it make me less of a man?

Piece:

What does it mean to be a boy?

If society makes you its toy;

“Don't cry because you're a boy,”

Does vulnerability make a noise? 

Pain is too inevitable, 

So why do I need to fight those unbelievable? 

If I can't hold up my fist, 

Does that make me out of the list? 

However, what if I'm not that tough? 

If I just don't want to take the bluff.

I'm a boy, but I'm also a person, 

Whose emotions are in prison. 

I cry because it's valid, 

I can also be scared because I'm timid, 

I can't physically fight 'cause it's unworthy, 

So don't run around and make toxicity your hobby. 

Emotion is a person's natural thing, 

Capability is a person's earning;

Strength differs for each and every person, 

So what you feel is not society's decision. 

Let out your emotions, scream what's inside of you; don't be scared to be yourself, to be weak, to be not as tough as the others, and to cry. Your fragility, your vulnerability, are all valid. Be a man of yourself.

Published by: Renz Mar M. Mangana

Date published: January 18, 2022

Time published: 10:33 AM