little boy
I cradle you in my arms gentle
soft arms soft eyes
tiny and innocent in this moment
the light framing your eyes bright
through darkness that you will sink through
So my baby cousin
who will grow into a man
I want to tell you

You are strong
you are a man so you are strong strong enough to break things
with words or fists
you will be given weapons at your disposal
a bar a beer and bare fists
but i beg of you
your mind unpolluted by sprayed spit glass shards and oxygen hard to breathe
so i warn you know

there are girls shredding their souls to find forgiveness
squeezing hearts through a meat grinder to try and see a way to get past their bruises
there are men winding flowers around girls necks
let them hang
‘because i deserved it didn’t i?’

little baby
you are strong
you are a man so you are strong
strong enough to twist a daisy chain of sweet nothings
around a girls thin fragile neck
and squeeze
you can
i will not say you can’t because you can
but i do not want your tiny hands to bear a death sentence
look at you
i will not say you can’t because you can
but i do not want your eyes your daisy chain fists to inspire fear