I live
in a world
where a man's tears
must be valiant warriors
dressed in full regalia
polished to such a finish as to be almost invisible
just to exist

where they must wage war
against taboos and stereotypes
cliched replays and replayed cliches
"real men don't cry"
"tears make you weak"

But they don't see the strength it takes
for me to let this go
and let the tears flow
d           d
   o                  o
     w                        w
   n                               n

my cheeks