A young boy can't wait to grow up and be just like his uncle-a brave and strong man. But does he truly understand what it means to be a 'real man'?
The #poem
Every night, as the colour of the sky
would start to grow a little too deep,
that introverted moon would drift away
from the noisy stars
to sit alone at Dani's window,
and inside his room
he would quietly peep.
That's when Dani's mother would declare,
"Young man, it's time for you to go and sleep."
Dani would excitedly jump onto his bed,
and as his mother came and sat by his feet,
he would plead with her like every other night,
"Please, tell those stories about Uncle
and all his glorious feats."
With a tired smile, she would tell him
the same story for the hundredth time,
about how her older brother had once
fought off a tiger with his own bare hands,
and how he would walk to school every morning,
crossing barefoot the rocky mountains
and the desert filled with red sand.
And so, every time the uncle came to their house,
Dani would prop himself on his lap
and ask with an innocent smile,
"How can I ever be like you,
a proud and brave man?"
The uncle would give out a chuckle,
then he would look to the side,
with his chest pumped out in the air;
he would say,
"Well, if you want to be like me,
you must learn the art of being a ‘real man’,
in a voice filled with great pride.
"A 'real man' is tough and strong
whatever he does, he must always succeed.
A 'real man' isn’t afraid of anything
he doesn't know the meaning of the word 'defeat.'
So this is a promise you must always keep,
never show too many emotions;
that's a sign of weakness,
and a real man can never be weak."
But Dani was afraid...
of the dark and the monsters under his bed,
and he loved telling his mother he adored her,
so he wasn't sure his uncle could teach him
this art really well.
Then, a few years later,
his uncle's beloved wife,
his sweet old aunt whom he loved dearly,
suddenly died.
At the funeral, everyone except the uncle cried.
He went on smiling like a fool,
reading his evening newspaper with great delight.
Dani was confused,
until the uncle took him to a corner
and explained to him why.
Looking to the side, maybe to hide his eyes,
with his chest pumped out in the air
and a dash of pride, he said,
"Always remember, young man,
no matter what happens in life,
a 'real man' never cries."
And so,
later that night,
when Dani’s younger sister woke him up,
asking him about those wailing sounds
coming from his uncle's room,
Dani thought for a while.
Then, he looked to the side,
with his chest pumped out in the air,
in a voice filled with great pride, he said,
"Oh, don't worry;
it must be some animal crying outside."
And in that moment, Dani knew
his uncle had taught him well
the art of…
telling a good lie.
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