Behind every great man
is a great woman
the saying goes
(and of course women
know how to lead
from the front)
but behind him
should also be the man
who is good
who can call out
the bad behavior
he senses is coming
who can risk
having the general
disown him
because he's
used his own strength
his own status
to defend the concept
of community
in the world
in the nation
in the household.
He knows
he can be a father
he can be a brother
(blood or not)
while supporting
his mothers and sisters
and he knows
that this is what it means
to be a man.
This poem © 2014 Emily Cooper.
