Poem: A Man

a man’s bare chest
that ability,
permission
to feel a breeze on stomach sternum
nipples even
is vulnerable

and a moment later
and another
and another

and then it is strength
defiance, soaring flight power

a woman should feel these things
the air on her breasts, the sunshine
the soaring freedom

and a man
crying
might too learn to feel the power of
an unarmed truth

2/19/07