We are ordinary men
with desires greater than
the whispering pleasures
hidden beneath athletic wear.
Stories of sadness
and survival surround us.
We do not
covet the merits
of marriage like pirates
plotting to pillage coins
that could never be spent.
We refuse to be vessels
of contempt awaiting
tolerance or validation.
Our position in the family
a birth and civil right.
We neither beg
nor demand.
We simply are.