the day i became a man
was not when i started growing hair on my face,
(though, you can never go wrong with a plentiful beard)
was not when i kissed a girl for the first time
(sad attempts at beards make for even more sad attempts at first kisses)
was not when i got a car
(never happened)
was not when i bought a house
(hasn't happened either)
nor the day i have a kid
(although it will significantly increase my manhood levels)
nor the day i start my career and begin making buttloads of money
(never going to happen)
it most definitely wasn't when i decided to bottle my feelings up,
because men don't show feeling
(this poor guy is cursed with emotions that make decisions for themselves)

no, the day i became a man
was when i realized that i had something to offer the world
it was when i realized that i'm not on this earth to take
and be selfish
or to get famous
or make lots of money
or be successful
no, my badge of manhood was earned when i came to the conclusion
that i don't need your ****** versions of what a man really is
to understand
who this man
really is

it was earned when i
stopped
trying
to earn it
and decided
to start learning
and caring
and loving
the responsibility of a mortgage is not on my shoulders
the responsibility of the world is
(and there's no other way i would rather have it)