Eighty percent of all suicides
Are committed by men
In case you weren’t listening,
I’ll say it again
Eighty percent of those who opted
Out of the plan of painful static
Were men, and I seriously doubt
That each one was a drunk or an addict
Labels help us dismiss the men
Who consciously choose not to live;
Toxic Masculinity, effeminate, weak;
Waved off as Liberal or Conservative
We’re expected to behave
As if we’re made of steel
But that’s fairy tale bullshit,
And it’s so far from real
Real men lose hope,
And they check out every day
They’re White, and they’re Black,
They’re straight, and they’re gay
They’re Latinos and Asians,
They’re Christians and Jews
College boys and farmers,
Overcome by the blues
And there was nobody there
Who knew what to say,
Who could (or would) help them
Make the pain go away
We choke on barrels or ropes,
Or we slit our wrists,
You call us narcissists, deadbeats,
And misogynists
If you say “All these men needed
“Was to have faith in God,”
Then your thinking is ignorant,
And dangerously flawed
Our bodies, ruined by painful,
Dangerous hard work,
But a broke or broken man
Is treated like a jerk
Women say, “Open up to me,
“Because I can help you grieve”
But when men share, women scare;
They get turned off and leave
A man carries on in silence for years,
Pain hidden by a noble stealth
But it rarely looks like the typical case
Of depression or poor mental health
More often than not, it’s a mystery
People scratch their heads and wonder,
“But he was so strong, I never knew.
I can’t believe he went under”
When a man can’t provide for his own,
No matter how he labors or tries,
Stumbling beneath an impossible weight,
He collapses from guilt, and he dies
The system dooms most men at birth,
Before we even get a chance to start
It favors the women who hurt us, and lie,
And rip our families apart
But the system wasn’t entirely built
By rich men, on the backs of the poor
There were also many greedy wives
Who yearned for more and more
Anyone who says women don’t lie
Or make up false allegations
Must have been hiding under a rock,
Not living in real situations
Of child support paternity tests,
30% are not the child’s real father
70% of divorces are initiated by women
So, why should a man even bother?
Many modern women think it’s cute,
Clever, and somehow funny,
To tear a man down by cheating on him,
Or using him for money
They say, “Men do it all the time!
“So, turnabout is fair play!”
But it’s not even close to being true
To say most men act that way
The word patriarchy is dropped
About a thousand times an hour
But most males have never known
Real money or true power
We’re told that “all men,” are abusers,
And how a bear could be escaped
But most men have never killed anyone,
Nor beaten a woman, or raped
Eighty percent of the suicide stats,
Men, in pain, and masking
But hey, everybody, we’re all fine,
So, thanks for never asking
Lean on me, brother, if you need to
You’re allowed to hurt and to cry
Soldiers should get furlough and rest,
But you don’t have permission to die
©2025 Kevin Trent Boswell
Kevin Trent Boswell 