On Becoming A Man

I have a need to be a man.

A tacit yearning to conquer the self

I have a need to be clean

in my body, in my spirit, in my mind.

I have a need to love the way I want to be loved

so that I wont feel alone

and that I may become whole

through the vitality of love.

Through a series of enlightenment

I now see much more clearly
that every strength, every weakness observed

is an observation on me. 

Every critical remark or thought

aimed in any one direction

reflects back directly on me. 

So I ask for forgiveness 

I ask for permission
that I may always be in motion

always moving towards brighter days

alive with brighter thoughts 

and emboldened with broader
considerations.