Flower

I am a flower,
I know in this day and age it is unconventional for a man to compare himself to a flower,
But that is what I am.

Beautiful,
Delicate,
In need of care,
The world is a tough place especially for a black man,
Blown to and fro by winds of criticism forcing me to be more masculine;
Toughen up they say,
Bend to our will…
Fit in…

And yet,
I stand,
A rose among trees,
An unchained mind with a redefined concept of masculinity,
A flower but no less of a man…