Men don’t talk,
They chat.
They don’t break,
They sink.
They are not free so they pretend to rule.
They don’t cry, they give until they give away their tears.
They confess love but they face rejection.
They are stepped on then asked to step up.
They need money to be something,
so to be a man without money is to become nothing.
They understand a man with empty pockets cannot show love,
so they learn to show hate.
They get money but a man with money and pain definitely will give hurt.
They try to get everything they couldn’t get and that’s still another way to get hurt.
But most of the times,
They earn less than they can give their family so they shrink more.
They lack, they hide, they endure,
until their voice is something they used to have.
And when that happens,
They don’t know how to speak to their sons.
So who will speak to boys?
Before the world becomes the voice they listen to.
Before they are lied to.
Before they realize they can lie too.
Before they have friends.
Before they have friends who are girls.
Before they have girlfriends.
Before they are alone in a room with a girl.
Before 26.7% of Kenyan teenage girls are mothers.
Before they are adults.
Before they are men.
Before men.
Before they teach their egos how to walk on a woman’s body like an amusement park.
Before they hide abuse.
Before they hide in abuse.
Before they plan to be fathers.
Before they are fathers.
Before they are fathers without a plan.
Before fatherhood is the thing that buried men.
They chat.
They don’t break,
They sink.
They are not free so they pretend to rule.
They don’t cry, they give until they give away their tears.
They confess love but they face rejection.
They are stepped on then asked to step up.
They need money to be something,
so to be a man without money is to become nothing.
They understand a man with empty pockets cannot show love,
so they learn to show hate.
They get money but a man with money and pain definitely will give hurt.
They try to get everything they couldn’t get and that’s still another way to get hurt.
But most of the times,
They earn less than they can give their family so they shrink more.
They lack, they hide, they endure,
until their voice is something they used to have.
And when that happens,
They don’t know how to speak to their sons.
So who will speak to boys?
Before the world becomes the voice they listen to.
Before they are lied to.
Before they realize they can lie too.
Before they have friends.
Before they have friends who are girls.
Before they have girlfriends.
Before they are alone in a room with a girl.
Before 26.7% of Kenyan teenage girls are mothers.
Before they are adults.
Before they are men.
Before men.
Before they teach their egos how to walk on a woman’s body like an amusement park.
Before they hide abuse.
Before they hide in abuse.
Before they plan to be fathers.
Before they are fathers.
Before they are fathers without a plan.
Before fatherhood is the thing that buried men.