Handbags For Boys

We dance around
Aggression, physical strength, prowess,
Boldness, and penis length;
We dance deliberately, not
Effeminately – we dance the dance
Of possession, ownership, territory.

The invisible make-up always hung
Up over our shoulders.
Thousands of years of base emotions
And violent notions
Paint us;
We are protection
Against people like ourselves, selection
Of women discerned by a mere
Erection.

Silent, or slow-tongued, with eyes
That always look to challenge
Or stand ground;
Courage or cowardice
The two choices – fight or flight –
No need for voices
Except to shout abuses: to scare.
To say that I’m the king of the jungle –
Don’t even dare!