Embrace Yourself, Boy

i know boys
who are trying to fit in a bowl
of social norms like
new wine in a broken glass

i know boys
who go to the gym
build bodies
but thier souls are shards
floating in the mercy of winds

i know boys
who are disaster
fitting in futility in a mold of
faux tranquillity sipped off beer mugs

i know boys
who know they are this
because they said they are that
barely unaware of who they
truly are

boys whose bodies are home
to shattered dreams
& cracked walls of rejections

boys whose eyes are rivers
of salt particles by night
but a sky of diamonds by day
brightening up dark corners of others
dying in the inside

but,

i also know boys
who are worth more than beer bottles

boys who give the jungle a run
for it’s savagery
& beat fate to her game

boys who stand before broken mirrors
& reflect the beauty of a thousand suns

boys who are worth more than
broken artifacts
lined up the haunted hall of
discarded dreams

boys who are worth more
than sad tales & moon-lit shadows

boys who know
they are

boys who are worth more
than the mistakes of ignorant forebears,
& stereotypes of misinformed peers

boys who are wear dignity like a pendant around their neck
& tattoo resilience on their chest

boys who are
sacred trees with fruits full
& ripe
& leaves ever green

embrace yourself, boy
be self aware
you’re not alone

let no one determine your worth
your emotion
your passion
your joy

be you!

embrace yourself, boy