Puzzles For Boys

Dec 23

Written By Micah Hill

my clothes fit loose;

loose to cover up the

tight ends

of my

skinny figure,

to cover up my

sternum poking out,

my rib cage etched in

high definition.

loose,

like the words of boys with

bodies as armor,

biceps as shields,

while my suit feels so penetrable.

but if i wear my pants

baggy,

maybe they won’t notice;

my skin choked tightly by bone;

won’t notice my malnourished frame:

no i wear my life baggy.

baggy

loose

wide legged

oversized

but boyhood is imagined by rigidness—

no flow where culture is airtight,

no weakness where expectations are as baggy as

rubber-meets-vacuum.

but i feel most protected under aired threads that hide my bending body.

bended masculinity,

bended tradition,

bended armor,

bending protection.

because my place as a boy will always be loose fit.

Love Poked