Free Verse Poem: Manliness

Free Verse Poem: Manliness

When you search for manliness,
you search for force of a special kind.
As a water spring born deep in the earth
that calm force begins with peace within.

As calm as forests, teeming with life,
as silent as rocks, amplifying your voice,
as quiet as trees, whispering your name
with a gentle voice of Spirit, full of knowledge.

As still as age-old ponds
holding the heavenly abyss.
As silent as thunderclouds
eager to become light.

When you search for manliness,
you search for the truth, to stand for it.
Be yourself and transcend yourself,
bowing before the sacred.

Sing, dance, laugh, cry, jump for joy, be a savage.
Breathe the wind, hug trees, listen to roots grow, name stones.
Watch sunbeams dance when the wind shakes the forest.
Wander with the clouds, gazing in the sky lying under an oak tree.
Walk with the sun, stay awake with the moon.

Nurture and protect life.
Go for your dream further than anybody ever has...
and return home.

Credits

• My sincere gratitude to the Isle of Write Poetry Pond Workshop for deep feedback and precise suggestions.
• Photo by Vladimir Kudinov on Unsplash.