Fear of men.

Jon Coleman
Nov 6 · 1 min read

A poem:

Image by Maike und Björn Bröskamp from Pixabay

Fearful old men
In a crumbling castle
Cry out in querulous voices
“Away! Send them away…”
They fear the strength and song
of the men
who march
to war

Would they rather the cobwebs
of silence and creeping dust
on the tombs and tomes
of laws from a bygone age,
than the bang and clatter
of hearty men?

Men who talk with mouths full.
Who pound the tables with gauntlet clad fists.
Who long to be invited into the libraries and upper rooms.

Those doors are barred by liver spotted hands.

Let us throw open the doors!
Let the young men sit in the circle of elders.

Remove the hats and the hoods alike!
And speak truth to one another
in story
and song.

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