The other day, I read an outstanding poem. In it, the poet laments about how he had to struggle to try keep his job, which in the end he lost due to the economic crisis, leading to many travails that followed after.
One of them was that, his wife and children left him when they couldn't understand the anxiety he faced, and his unending debts that escalated due to his broken situation. He had to give up his home and his assets. The spouse and children believed that they suffered the situation the most. Because men tend to withdraw into themselves when things don't go right, and more often than not, they become reclusive.
Often, it is the case that anxieties and sorrows tear relationships apart. I suppose great relationships are based on everything going right all the time. But those are beginnings with fairytale endings, aren't they? We live in a real world.
I know men to have a vulnerable side which is often hidden. They are often considered to be pillars of strength in a relationship or marriage.
So, I thought about what it took to make a man cry, I mean, really cry.
Unlike women, their tears are subdued, frozen like ice-cubes in their insides, only melting when the temperature gets too heated for it to stay composed.
They walk away from confrontations to hide their sadness most of the time, and when tears fall, is it done it secret? I wonder.
I know I have seen crestfallen faces, worried looks, and disappointments wash over strong men. But, not really seen a man sob and cry like a woman. Maybe, in the movies. Perhaps, that's why they are so affected when their life is shattered by unfortunate circumstances.
I was thinking about those men of high places, who have lost all their wealth within seconds through the downfall of their investments in this current economic downturn. Would they cry the cry of the anguished, like a child. Or pick themselves up and try as much as they can to portray a brave front?
I can't imagine how they would cope with their loss. Haven't they been living the high life throughout?
What about when a woman leaves them. The woman they loved most of their life. Would they cry that way then?
Or, if someone dies, someone close and cherished?
I think men need a strong shoulder to cry on too. They are vulnerable just as us women in the face of adversity.
Tell me what you think in the comments below.
AN INSPIRATION
A Poem
(In conjunction with World Poetry Day)
Of sensuous beauty likened to the Goddesses,
Of an everlasting creation,
Poetry in all thy demeanor,
You shall remain a timeless adornment,
Both on Earth and in Heaven’s Adoration.
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Where the Rain Falls is now published on Amazon. So far it has garnered rave
reviews. Here are the latest reviews of the book:
Read the sample pages here: First two chapters.
Read it on KOBO here.
My father died when my brother was born. He died of something called desiccation. That’s what the doctor said. It was waterlessness in a body. Father’s body was only skin and bones he had declared when pronouncing him dead. I was six then, and I know I felt afraid of being consumed by “desiccation” ever since. It was a scary word, sounding even more frightening when you say it out loud. In rural places, villagers often ply tedious routes to catch untapped water. They carry home vessel after vessel containing the essential component for everyday use. I never could understand why the distance. Why the need to live in a desert land and trudge each day to where the water flows?
For those interested in literary fiction focused on the environment.
