"A Lion Roars" (poem) >>> A Toast to Great Dads ... (100 Days of Poetry - Day #4)
We seem to have a problem with "Maleness" these days. Apparently, it's become a sin.
I think this is foolishness. I'm male and proud of it. Don't get me wrong, I love femaleness. I might ever prefer it. But not for me. I happy to be a man. And a strong one at that.
Those character traits so stereotypical of males: Assertion, aggression .. even violence - they're very much maligned. Maleness has become politically incorrect. But when the hyenas show up, the rest of the pride seems thankful for the males amongst them. Of course, maleness taken to the extreme, become pathological. But everything taken to the extreme becomes pathological.
The world is filled with good men. Husbands and fathers doing their best to raise a family. Why should they shirk in the shadows, apologizing for their very nature?
They shouldn't.
And so, this poem is a toast to all the Great Dads in the world.
Cheers.
Here's a line from something I wrote to my dad years back:
"Each step I make
takes me closer
to my dreams and
brings you closer
to your death.
How can I enjoy
Life when you're
so far away?"
@lymepoet,
Beautiful sentiment. The father/daughter bond ... if you're lucky enough to have one ... is priceless. I feel terrible for those that don't.
This is as true as it gets. Maleness should be appreciated at all times, not just when the times demand the masculine exterior. What if when its demanded it is not there, would it still be politically incorrect?
Great poem @quillfire , I stand with you on this. To all the great dads.
@fego,
Thanks mate. I appreciate the support.
Theatrical writing
Follow you
Loved the poem. A father giving himself for his kid. Parents would go a long way for their children. Blood is blood
@skodie,
I'm glad you liked it. Nature is nature and, personally, I find it beautiful.
I very much appreciate your post, I'm glad you stopped by mine to comment so I could find you.
I am guilty of being more cautious of men than woman with my children, even though I have the most dedicated loving father in my husband.
I am also very passionate about gender equality or indeed gender irrelevance, which may seem strange and contradictory. I try to be aware of my underlying prejudice and why I have it. It's a vigilance when it comes to my kids safety that I know is something influenced by my past work with survivors of abuse and also my own trust issues. I frequently remind myself and my kids that most people are good.
A significant male from my childhood greatly effected my trust . Warning, long an vicariously traumatic read. https://steemit.com/life/@girlbeforemirror/why-i-pledged-to-run-almost-300kms-for-a-man-i-had-never-met-who-had-accused-a-man-i-had-loved-all-my-life-of-the-most-heinous
Having a son in recent years had taught me a lot. I have the sweetest males under my roof.
I also have a teen daughter. On occasion I have found myself in a debate about boys / girls , I sometimes do crassly state "Who cares what genitals someone has, people are people."
From observing from my husbands perspective, it is harder than ever to be a man. Dad's are more involved than ever in parenting, expected to be everything and still considered, guilty before proven maybe innocent.
A woman at the local park is not looked at suspiciously, but a man is a different story. I have seen people watch dad's until they establish which kid they are with or if they are there alone. It seems a man can't be in a public park without a child, they are looked at with suspicion.
Our local library has a big window with a view in the children's section. A man often sits there watching movies on his iPad with headphones. He was asked to move to a different section because the parents (to be honest, mothers) thought it was inappropriate for him to be with the kids. He was sitting at a window with his chair facing away from them and his ears plugged.
I think where we are currently with gender equality, we have retained all the expectations of our traditional roles with the added pressure of taking on the less traditional roles as well. It is an impossible expectation. People are different irrespective of gender. You have touched on something I am passionate about. Gender is in itself not simple, people like to think it is because ambiguity and gender fluidity is still not talked about openly. Having worked in the medical field for many years it is something I had intended to post about. I have a long list of things I have intended to post about. Sorry I went off on a tangent here.
You have sparked some ideas for me for sure.
Great poem too BTW.