Kirby's Poetry

Everybody Cries

Note: this is meant to be read as a two voice poem, however, because of spacing difficulties, it looks like it isn't. If you want to read it as a two voice, every third stanza is spoken together. The first and second stanzas are spoken separately and the patter continues.

When tears stream down
A little boy's face
Like hot, flowing rivers,
He's told it's weakness, not manly.
Hold it inside, they say.

When tears stream down
A little girl's face
Like warm coals from a fire,
She's told it's normal.
Girls cry a lot, they say.

But everybody cries,
Crying has no gender.

When a speech is being given,
The young boy, speaking his mind
A quiver of anger flings from his tongue.
He's told it's powerful, inspiring.
He'll make a difference, they say.

When a speech is being given
The young girl speaking her mind
A passionate line escapes her throat,
She's told she's ungrateful for what she has.
Self-centered, they say.

But everybody speaks,
Speaking has no gender.

When emotion floods the brain
The boy, expressing himself
Feeling like the world is crushing him,
He's told it's wrong, not masculine.
Probably gay, they say.

When emotion floods the brain
The girl, expressing herself
Feeling like no one's there for her,
She's told to calm down, smile more.
Probably on her period, they say.

But everybody's emotional,
Emotions have no gender.

Out for a run under the beating sun
The young man's shirt is off, flopping in his waistband
Comfortable with his body, his scars
He's told it's okay, perfectly normal.
He's just hot, they say.

Out for a run under the beating sun
The young woman's shirt is off, flopping in her sports bra
Confident with her body, her stretch marks
She's told it's slutty, unladylike.
She's asking for it, they say.

But everybody has skin,
Skin has no gender.