Men Who Think I Am One of Them Speak
She really let herself go.
This story is hard to tell.
When the men you love
insist a woman hold on
never
let herself go
never
let herself loose
never
let herself leave
never
let herself depart
never
let herself mobilize
never
let herself imagine
never
let herself grow
big enough to lift off
the runway
like a jet
full of fuel.
Credit
Copyright © 2022 by Stacey Waite. Originally published in Poem-a-Day on September 22, 2022, by the Academy of American Poets.
About this Poem
“As someone who often gets read as a cis male and who is masculine-presenting, I have found myself often thinking about the things men do and say when they think they are ‘among men.’ This poem is from a series that chronicles these experiences.”
—Stacey Waite
Author
Stacey Waite
Stacey Waite is a queer poet.
Date Published
09/22/2022