Michael Pietrobon’s haiku juxtaposes the perception of man with the complex reality.
Editor’s Note: This poem begins with the generality voice we all hear throughout our lives. Then it swiftly counters it through a personal glimpse into self. Finally, it breaks free of the man box that we often find ourselves in whether we like it or not. It doesn’t take multiple men to be complex. We are complex as one. This haiku breathes life into that notion.
Real Man
Men fight and provoke;I swoon, sing, quickly emote:I am the same man.
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–Photo: Valeri Pizhanski/Flickr
This haiku poses a very relevant question: Who creates this perception of man as “fighting and provoking”? And why do we listen to them!? The poem serves as a voice of reason for any man who believes he is to stay within the nature of “fight and provoke”; similarly, it reveals the idea that a man may possess a world of qualities that are contrary to one another.