when does a man
stop being scared
of all the things
of all the people
when does a man
feel like a man
when he’s still five
and hiding in the dark
from shadows in the hall
what makes a man
courageous…

maybe it’s a willingness
to walk through it all
to let it pass over him
like an ice waterfall
and come out
exhilerated
and perhaps
a little bit
stronger.