The Journey from Innocence to Manhood
(An Ode to the Forgotten Boy)
1. The Smile Behind the Silence
He is not harsh—he just holds a deeper calm.
A man, taught to smile while nursing a silent psalm.
He carries thunder in a breathless chest,
Eyes of granite, like father, like the rest.
Tears? Those are legends in manhood's tale—
They say, real men don’t cry. They only exhale.
He is not a boy. He’s the hope they stitched onto his skin.
The face of a society, not allowed to give in.
2. Afraid to Feel
He fears the world will call him frail—
In this era, weakness is a masculine betrayal.
He is not a boy. He is a banner, held too high.
He wants to share, to feel, to ask “Why?”
But he hides behind shadows he never chose,
Tangled in myths no one outgrows.
To be “a man,” he had to disappear—
And become the mask the world holds dear.
3. An Inherited Silence
This curse passed down like family gold,
Carved into iron, lifeless and cold.
Silence, a legacy men did not seek—
Stone on the outside, inside—fragile and weak.
Inheritance came with a script to be tough,
To carry all, but never feel “enough.”
Dreams cracked. Emotions trimmed.
The right to cry? Forever dimmed.
He’s not unfeeling—he’s just cracked with grace.
A man made of glass, in a stone-shaped face.
4. The First Taste of Masculinity
When he stumbled, they said, “Don’t cry. You’re a man.”
And thus began this bitter, ancient plan.
In raising “manhood,” innocence bled,
Even kindness was left for dead.
As a son, he swallowed every ache.
As a father, he forgot how hearts break.
Giving, always giving, until he became
The ghost of a boy, burdened by a name
5. The Rules of Being a Man
Come, they say, we’ll teach you how to be strong:
Choke your screams; learn silence as your song.
Smile while wildfires rise inside—
Men cry too, just where no one’s nearby.
Swallow pain till numbness becomes pride.
Don’t you break. Don’t let your soul slide.
You’re not just you—you’re a lineage of bone.
Shatter, and they’ll say you broke what you own.
6. Reclaiming the Face in the Mirror
Now question this ancient rite.
Look deep into that child, soft with light.
To all the lessons that stole your tears—
Challenge them. Burn the inherited fears.
You are a man—so weep. Let it be loud.
Speak your truth. Feel it proud.
You are a man. You are a boy.
You are more than society’s decoy.
You are your own face, your own name.
And your innocence is nothing to tame.
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