A Man

by Cheryl Merrick

Deceived,
but thinking
he is being a “real man”,
He is lead into a pit
To be shackled
by the falsehood
that a man should be all that is
opposite of a woman.
If she is kind and loving,
then he is mean and selfish.


Believing that
she was made to give
and he to take,
Within, he remains only
a self-centered boy,
Never reaching the strength
of manhood,
Never realizing his potential,
Never learning to love and serve,
Never being happy or satisfied,
Never really becoming a man.