Jim Ellis Editor, Legacy Magazine
In this day and age of men-bashing and boy-trashing, I think it’s time to stand up and proclaim loudly and proudly the greatness of the masculine gender. Here, I do so in poetic form. Hey it even rhymes.
“In Honor Of My Boys”
My brothers, my men, my boys
I honor you for the innocence, the jokes, the joy
I look for you at times, ashamed and lost
Broken promises, the news of the day – they display the cost
Of all … we have lost
My circle of joy, my circle of youthful power
In the past – left abandoned, left careless, left sour
That invisible, intangible, unnamable force
Its flagrant absence shows we’ve fallen off course
It was a world of unspoken honor and unspoken love
Showing what a boy – a man – is truly made of
A world where wrestling in rage and playing football were really one and the same
Playing fair or not at all – within the rules of the game
Where spying or hiding behind bushes was just not cool
Where being the glory hog in basketball made you simply the fool
Where tricky bunts to get on base was just for the coward
And hitting a girl was never, ever, ever, ever allowed
Ever, ever … allowed
My circle, my comrades, my boys, my men
I will always be here; I will always defend
What we had and what we are
When you get down to it, we haven’t gone far
We are still there – somehow – in our circle of truth and packs of fun
We can reclaim it … it never ended … it has just begun
Every time we look within and remember the wrestling rage
Every time we look within and climb out of our own limiting cage
Every time we recall the rules we lived by just because it was right
Every time we chose – without even knowing – to fight the good fight
Every time we held firm to protecting and honoring the girl
Every time we put a stake in the ground, claiming proudly “this is our world”
I welcome back the honor, the jokes … the joy
Ah yes, my brothers, my men, my boys
James Anthony Ellis is an award-winning playwright, journalist and filmmaker, who is the author of eight books, including the men-only “The Honor Book” from which the above poem can be found, available HERE.
