I have been told
That to respect women is to put them on a pedestal, and
That to put them on a pedestal is to imprison them.
Yet my only desire was to respect, honor, and love all my fellow beings.

I have been told
That men have caused all the world's woes,
That men kill, rape, and plunder, and
That men are even destroying the earth itself.
Yet I know in my heart that my brothers and I
Sacrifice, build, serve, create, love, and protect.

I have been told
That women earn only 73 cents for every dollar men earn.
Along that line, I have been told that "statistics don't lie."
Yet I know that liars can and do misrepresent stats.

I have been told
That "strong" women don't need men.
But still I wrestle with questions:
Who gave up their places in the lifeboats when the Titanic sank?
Why were men most of those killed on September 11?

I have been told that women and children in Sub-Saharan Africa
Are dying of starvation and suffering from diseases
That Western medicine could prevent.
I have been shown the video coverage
Of the fly-covered, distended bellies and
Been asked to do something about it.
Lo and behold,
I--this supposed male brute--shed tears for those starving people!
Fierce, manly tears--yes, but tears all the same,
As I wondered what was happening to the men there.

I have been told
That a woman needs me like a fish needs a bicycle.
I have been told
That if men could get pregnant, abortion would be a sacrament.
I have been told
That I am a rapist, since all men are rapists and that's all we are.

For many years, I listened like a good little boy.
I went along with the program.
I played the game and didn't make noise
Until, one day, like Toto in The Wizard of Oz,
I pulled back the curtain
And saw feminism for what it truly is:
An empty house built on lies.

"No more!" I cried.  "No more."
I am a man going my own way.
I have set the wheel turning;
It shall not be stopped,
Much less turned back.

I have thrown off the shackles
That gynocentric ideologues placed on my wrists.
I have cast off the leg irons
That were fastened above my ankles.
I have spit out the gag,
Loosened my tongue,
Ripped off the blindfold,
And pulled out the earplugs.
I am free!  I am awake!
I shall be deceived no more.

Come forward, my brothers, and go your own way.
Let us seize the day and take back the good life,
The life that is our birthright.
Let us be men, boldly, unabashedly, courageously,
But justly and mercifully, too.
Let us not allow trifles to divide us.
Let us not forget a brother in need.
Let us compete, as you all know we will,
But let's compete to better ourselves and our worthy competitors,
Remembering that we are always striving and seeking together.

Go forward, my brothers, and be your own men.
The world, nay, the universe is there for the taking.
Take it!