To: Masculine from: Nayyirah Waheed

This poem speaks to me on such a great level. It truly does resonate with me, as I too have seen so many of the males around me want to cry and because of society being so heterosexually dominated and so stuck in the various sexist stereotypes men have no been able to express themselves in a natural and emotional way.

The poem speaks the truth. Men, and all men want to cry at times, it is a human reaction to many things. However it is girls and women that are stereotyped to be weak and cry all the time and if a man appears at all that he will cry, he is then considered weak, just like a female and thus is stripped of all his masculinity. 

However, I believe that a man that cries and expresses his emotions is the most masculine of them all. As being able to be proud and confident to believe in your own masculinity enough to know that if you cry it won't be taken from you. - many men are made to feel so insecure about themselves, just like women and thus constantly have to out up this guard to protect their masculine reputation. However this is always at the detriment of their own feelings and emotional health. The fact that one doe not cry, if unhealthy... as it leads to you bottling things up and not having any form of natural release. - Men punch things, because this is a release and yes, that is what is expected of men. 

not only does punching a wall hurt one physically but it will never do the same as crying. 

Men need to take back their control, they claim they are so strong and so dominant, yet society has robbed them and they are being manipulated by the heterosexual game. - not so strong now. 

The only way to win? 

To let go and not let society tell you no, cry if you wish. Allow emotion to be a real and natural thing. - you will win then.