Boys Will Be Boys



Boys will be boys,
But girls will grow up in a world,
Where their body determines their worth,
Wearing a crop top somehow inviting--
The visible thoughts flying
around your head.
They will soon learn to notice
slow eyes slithering, searching, studying.

Boys will be boys,
But women live in a world
where they are touched and grabbed,
Assaulted, stalked, and stabbed,
Silenced while screaming,
Holding in all the stress,
Because if they take one breath,
One flicker in the guard,
One moment of peace,
A man can swoop in
and steal their humanity.

Do I not matter to you?
Am I just here to flatter you?
To love and praise,
While in my head silently praying--
praying for your choice to be easy on me,
For masculine hands to go easy on me,
I have already accepted such a feat,
“So stay quiet, it’ll be quick”
My predetermined fate
apparently isn’t worth trying to save.

Boys will be boys,
But I must learn to
only accept a drink from someone I trust,
But even then, pepper spray and rape whistles are a must
But even then, I don’t know who to trust,
Because in my hour of need,
Boys will be the ones asserting power over me--

Boys will be boys,
But I must soon learn how to
hold my keys between my fingers,
To fight off all the dangers,
But even a hidden knife will never protect me,
Because the cards are stacked against me,
I have learned that I will most likely
Become one of those one in three.

My daily internal conflict:
To be pro-choice,
But to never have a choice
Because I can never be the one with the loudest voice--
That power is left up to the boys.

About this poem

I was upset about hearing the common phrase "boys will be boys" to make excuses for young boys acting in an inappropriate way. I wanted to point out the stark difference between the way society views boys and girls, as well as bring attention to the many horrors women and girls face on a day to day basis.

Font size:
Collection  PDF     
 

Written on October 17, 2021

Submitted by thefirths1913 on March 28, 2022

Modified on April 24, 2023

1:42 min read
195

Quick analysis:

Scheme Abxccxxc Abddcxxxxxe ffxceexxxx Afgggxe Afhheeee xiiia
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 1,599
Words 340
Stanzas 6
Stanza Lengths 8, 11, 10, 7, 8, 5

Hannah Firth

Hannah Firth is an emerging poet, who is using the medium of poetry to amplify her voice while providing sharp commentary on the trials and tribulations of being a teen. more…

All Hannah Firth poems | Hannah Firth Books

2 fans

Discuss the poem Boys Will Be Boys with the community...

0 Comments

    Translation

    Find a translation for this poem in other languages:

    Select another language:

    • - Select -
    • 简体中文 (Chinese - Simplified)
    • 繁體中文 (Chinese - Traditional)
    • Español (Spanish)
    • Esperanto (Esperanto)
    • 日本語 (Japanese)
    • Português (Portuguese)
    • Deutsch (German)
    • العربية (Arabic)
    • Français (French)
    • Русский (Russian)
    • ಕನ್ನಡ (Kannada)
    • 한국어 (Korean)
    • עברית (Hebrew)
    • Gaeilge (Irish)
    • Українська (Ukrainian)
    • اردو (Urdu)
    • Magyar (Hungarian)
    • मानक हिन्दी (Hindi)
    • Indonesia (Indonesian)
    • Italiano (Italian)
    • தமிழ் (Tamil)
    • Türkçe (Turkish)
    • తెలుగు (Telugu)
    • ภาษาไทย (Thai)
    • Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)
    • Čeština (Czech)
    • Polski (Polish)
    • Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian)
    • Românește (Romanian)
    • Nederlands (Dutch)
    • Ελληνικά (Greek)
    • Latinum (Latin)
    • Svenska (Swedish)
    • Dansk (Danish)
    • Suomi (Finnish)
    • فارسی (Persian)
    • ייִדיש (Yiddish)
    • հայերեն (Armenian)
    • Norsk (Norwegian)
    • English (English)

    Citation

    Use the citation below to add this poem to your bibliography:

    Style:MLAChicagoAPA

    "Boys Will Be Boys" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 31 Oct. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/124070/boys-will-be-boys>.

    Become a member!

    Join our community of poets and poetry lovers to share your work and offer feedback and encouragement to writers all over the world!

    October 2024

    Poetry Contest

    Join our monthly contest for an opportunity to win cash prizes and attain global acclaim for your talent.
    0
    days
    4
    hours
    4
    minutes

    Special Program

    Earn Rewards!

    Unlock exciting rewards such as a free mug and free contest pass by commenting on fellow members' poems today!

    Quiz

    Are you a poetry master?

    »
    Which poet is known for writing "Ode to a Nightingale"?
    A Samuel Taylor Coleridge
    B William Wordsworth
    C Percy Bysshe Shelley
    D John Keats