Be This, Be That

A reflection on today's societies and expectation of gender roles.

Hidden beneath clouds of make up 

Lies a girl with tears in her eyes

Wanting nothing but a love that is true

To hold her as she holds her own kids

Whose fathers only wanted her body

When she thought there was more between them

She's the one who needs make up

To make herself feel pretty

No matter how many times you tell her

She's beautiful without it

She'll shake her head at those words

Not believing that she's a goddess

I find it kind of funny

I find it kind of sad

That's she's not the only one

To hide her beauty behind make up

Because they feel ugly without it

And will go unnoticed in this world

Hidden beneath his tough exterior

Is a boy lost in such a huge world

Wanting to love and be loved

To be held but knows he can't

Because being a man means being tough

And appearing unwavered to the challenges of the world

He's the one that needs to stand tall

When all he wants to do is curl in a corner

No matter how often you tell him

That it's OK to be down sometimes

He'll just shake his head at these words

Not believing he's simply a human being

I find it kind of funny

I find it kind of sad

That we become what others expect

And not creating our own definition of

"man" "beautiful" "woman"

There's got to be more than one truth

A man

An adult male who has responsibilities 

Takes care of his own

Financially stable in this economy

Who feels no sadness or vulnerability

Is he suppose to be a robot or superhuman?

A woman

An adult female who is graceful

Depends on a man in absolution

Has no flaws in looks or functions

Simply there for sex and support

Is she suppose to be a picture perfect pet to man?

There is more to a man

There is more to a woman

But the pressure of what we're taught

Crushes us down into robots

Programmed to be a certain way

Instead of being free for ourselves

Reviews

[613]

This is a beautiful poem through & through.

My only criticism: I suggest - during the middle of the poem, when you've involved both men & women - to put the women first, as you did in the first stanza. It might flow better to have things in the same pattern - women, men, women, men.

Overall, great work!

- Brittney