Boys Boys come walking up the lane Wielding sticks with which they beat The insolent air Boys find something dead In the woods and are told not to Bring it into the house Boys grow their hair out in summer The sun dyes it blonde But at the root it is winter-dark Boys jump off the diving board In ways that make the bored lifeguard Blow her shrill whistle Boys fall in love with the lifeguard Who they know would disdainfully save them Boys break their collarbones snowboarding Boys drink a lot of milk Boys surprise the doctor Boys declare they’ve decided To change their names Their parents try their best but sometimes Slip up and call them by the names they gave them Before they were born Boys ask permission to borrow the cordless drill Put locks on their doors Boys dye their hair blue or platinum blonde Before the sun can Boys paint their nails Boys come downstairs one morning Wearing a sequined skirt Boys invite a boy to dinner Explaining abrasively that They use they/them pronouns Not all parents would be kind But these parents are Boys are frustrated by this kindness Which they suspect disguises What their parents really feel But in time boys come to believe Their parents’ kindness is earnest Even after their dad makes the bad joke After a few glasses of wine That these days boys won’t always be boys Boys seem happier Boys sit at the table long after supper has ended Talking about something they learned in school How it is the male penguin who sits on the egg Boys admit that It was kind of cool
Boys
Boys
Boys
Boys Boys come walking up the lane Wielding sticks with which they beat The insolent air Boys find something dead In the woods and are told not to Bring it into the house Boys grow their hair out in summer The sun dyes it blonde But at the root it is winter-dark Boys jump off the diving board In ways that make the bored lifeguard Blow her shrill whistle Boys fall in love with the lifeguard Who they know would disdainfully save them Boys break their collarbones snowboarding Boys drink a lot of milk Boys surprise the doctor Boys declare they’ve decided To change their names Their parents try their best but sometimes Slip up and call them by the names they gave them Before they were born Boys ask permission to borrow the cordless drill Put locks on their doors Boys dye their hair blue or platinum blonde Before the sun can Boys paint their nails Boys come downstairs one morning Wearing a sequined skirt Boys invite a boy to dinner Explaining abrasively that They use they/them pronouns Not all parents would be kind But these parents are Boys are frustrated by this kindness Which they suspect disguises What their parents really feel But in time boys come to believe Their parents’ kindness is earnest Even after their dad makes the bad joke After a few glasses of wine That these days boys won’t always be boys Boys seem happier Boys sit at the table long after supper has ended Talking about something they learned in school How it is the male penguin who sits on the egg Boys admit that It was kind of cool