We don't cry

We men don't cry. We come back hard.
We harden our hearts. We harden them with bad food and bad drink.
We harden our minds. We harden them with bad advice and bad plans.
We harden our bodies. We harden them with good workouts and good women.
We harden our egos. We harden them with good memories and good compliments.

We men don't cry. We come back hard.
Fresh out the kiln we come out reformed; harder, stiffer, more rigid, harder to bend but easier to break.  When we were boys we could cry. We could absorb things like soft things do. Pain was one of them.  All the pain seemed to find itself drowning beneath our tears and washed away.  But now we are men, we are hard, things either bounce off us or break us into pieces.

I find myself today unable to cry. I've come back hard.
Unable to bend, you will not hear from me offers to compromise.
Unable to soften, you will not hear from me offers of soft words.
Unable to absorb, you will not see me taking in any more gestures.
Unable to fall, you will not see me taking any more plunges.