A Poem About Being a Man

What is a Man?

As any biologist can attest,

Male-ness is sheer chemistry

And an ‘X’ and ‘Y’, with

Some testosterone as a topper.

But there a big difference,

Between a male and a man.

You see, to be a man requires

A set of skills and purpose.

A male is but half of the species of human,

And as such, part of God’s creation.

But a man is the spirit,

And as such, part of God Himself.

A man can calculate risk,

And take it, when the outcome is warranted.

A man knows when to stand up,

And when to shut up.

A man knows who to trust,

And what to trust.

And a man know that all his wins and losses,

Come from that face in the mirror.

A man knows to do his best always,

Even if it falls short,

And especially if no one is watching,

Because God is always watching.

A man knows the truth,

May not be the easiest path at first,

But is always the easiest path in the end,

Because the truth is always easiest to remember.

A man will jump up to do the hard stuff,

Because anyone can do the easy stuff.

A man knows character is higher than intellect,

And that every job is a self-portrait.

A man knows that if you have integrity, nothing else matters;

And if you don’t have integrity, nothing else matters.

A man knows that the reputation of a thousand years,

May be determined by the conduct of an hour.

A man knows that you don’t have to try to better than someone else,

It matters if you try to better than yourself.

A man know when to hold ‘em and when to fold ‘em.

And that the lesser of two evils is still an evil.

A man knows that it is his mind,

Not his enemy or foe,

That lures him to evil ways.

A man knows quality, and respects it,

But doesn’t flaunt it for admiration.

A man knows beauty, and admires it,

But doesn’t pursue false beauty.

A man knows what courage is,

And how physical courage can be common,

And moral courage rare.

And that courage is not the lack of fear,

But the management of fear.

And a man know that success is not the lack of failure,

But the management of failure as well.

And a man knows,

You can be a victor without having victims.

A man treats all people with respect,

Especially those who can do nothing for him.

And a man knows that if to his own self be true,

He can never be false to any man.

A man know that he has to live with himself,

So he should see to it he has good company.

And a man writes authorship of his own destiny,

So his story is written with a pen held in his own hand.

A man knows that the hardest two things to handle,

Are failure and success.

And that success is getting what you want;

And happiness is wanting what you get.

And a man gets up when he gets knocked down;

Because success is how high you bounce when you hit bottom.

A man remembers that great things are simple:

Freedom, justice, honor, duty, mercy, and hope.

So don’t worry about who you grandfather was,

Worry about what his grandson will be.

And dream as if you’ll live forever,

And live as if you’ll die today.

I love you, and I’m proud of you:

Ignorance has no beginning, but has an end;

Wisdom has a beginning, but has no end.

Be a man!

Dad

Epilogue:  There’s a lot of real estate here, and I make claim to only part of it and the composition.  This was for my son Alex’s graduation.  ‘Character is higher than intellect’ is from Emerson.  The quote about integrity and nothing else matters is from Alan Simpson.  The thousand years and a moment is from the samurai.  When to hold ‘em and when to fold ‘em is from the song ‘The Gambler’ by Kenny Rogers.  Don’t try to be better than some else, be better than yourself is from William Faulkner.  The lesser of two evils is still an evil is from Max Lerner. The enemy in the mind is from the Buddha. The physical courage and moral courage quote is from Mark Twain. The quote about courage could be Mark Twain, or Ambrose Redmoon (I modified it anyway).  Victor without victims is by Harriet Woods. To your own self be true is of course Shakespeare.  The part about having to live with yourself, so be in good company is from Orison Marden.  The control of authorship of your own destiny is from Irene Kassorla.  Success getting what you want is from Dale Carnegie.  Getting knocked down is from Chumbawumba.  The bouncing quote is from George Patton.  The simple things are from Winston Churchill.  The grandfather quote is from Lincoln.  Dream as if you’ll live forever is from James Dean.  Pretty much everything else is mine, or I’ve lost the connection in my brain.