This place
This world
These unbelievable men
Sharing
Pain
Love
Life
Like men are taught not to share
Reaching out
Touching
Like men are taught not to touch
Holding
Crying
Like men are taught not to cry
Nurturing one another in wonderful caring ways
Wounded in a way that gives then special sight to see the wounds of others
Bind them up
Heal them

Seeing now inside other men
Not forced to see the muscle flexed
The icy stare
What we were taught to be as men
But seeing now the feeling man
The caring man
The loving man
The things that men are born to be

No lack of strength
There is no lack of strength in caring
Loving
Holding
More strength found in the gentle touch
Than in the iron fist

And no one even knows we're here
No one knows this world of love
This world of kindness
This world of caring, pulled from pain

No one knows this world exists
Or would suspect
For, you see, men cannot feel this way
Act this way
Be this way
It's not a part of who they are

What a pity that we had to be so injured in such awful ways...to know
The true nature of men
Their greatest strengths
Their gentleness
Their caring

I'm so glad I know
So glad my memory of men
Will not be the one of pain that followed me so many years
But this one
In this place
Of men who heal the heart

Thank you Bobby.

I too feel the same about this place.
This place where I don't have to pretend,
Pretend to be he who I am not.
A place where no one will call me sissy.

Love ya,

Derdle

Bobby,

I won't comment further, except to thank you again for the insight and grace of your wonderful poems. They help me so much.

Much love,
Larry