There Were Men Once*

There are few men remaining
That know the sound
Of summer rain
Pelting a tin roof.

Fewer are left
That have the musk of earth
In their nostrils.

Not many have
The scent of rivers
In their brains.

Not many remain
Whose fingers were cut
By the knife of cotton bolls.

Not many are left
Who savor black powder
Like French perfume.

There were men once
That pissed a furrow
Then planted beans.

There were men once
That bought continents
With their life’s blood.

Once upon a time
There were men
That didn’t need to understand
A woman
Before he could love her.

There were men
That drove old trucks
With the dignity of Cadillacs.

Once upon a time
Men saw no contradiction
Between poetry
And manhood.

There were men once
That never apologized
And never explained.

There were men once.


*Yeah, I'll probably catch hell for this post. And sure, I stepped over the line here and there. But I ain't gonna apologize and I ain't gonna explain.