Reading time:2 min read

The Making of a Man

A man is not born quiet; he is taught it.
He falls as a boy and is told to shush it.
“Be a man,” they say, but they mean hide it.
And like iron in a blacksmith’s fire,
Heated and hammered,
He is forged into steel —
Hardened to mask the way he feels.

To be a man is to be raised to be stone,
To learn early what his body
Must never translate into words.
To bear the weight of something unknown —
Inherited expectations, endless survival.
To learn early to man it;
To stand on his own.

Strong is the man who never lets it show.
Weak is the one whose emotions overflow.
Useful, as long as he can still provide,
Worthless, when his silence turns into a cry.
“Speak up,” they say, but turn away his pain.
So he continues life, merely in a feign.
Even men forget compassion for men.

But strong and brave may fall and break.
Doesn't make you weak to crawl out of your cave.
Lay down the armour, share the pain,
Grief, fear, worry — call each by name.
“Be a man,” they say, but speak it aloud,
Do not wait till it pulls you underground.
For mental health knows no gender or age.

Pain grows in the dark,
And silence is where it multiplies.
You do not lose manhood by letting it show,
You do not lose worth by needing help.
Be gentle with yourself when you struggle,
and gentler still with the man beside you.
We all need grace, and a hand sometimes.
You're human too, you deserve peace of mind.