Big boys.

When he was 5, he cried over a lost toy,

and they told him stop, because boys should not be sad

When he was 10, he scratched up his knee,

and he didn’t cry, because boys should handle the pain

When he was 13, his stepmother touched him on inappropriate places,

and he didn’t tell anyone because he had learned that boys cannot be raped

When he was 16, he wished he was dead

and he cut himself as a punishment for failing,

and he cried himself to sleep, where no one could see him,

and he couldn’t tell anyone, because boys aren’t supposed to hurt.