Rejection

Rejection
is a lesson fathers
rarely teach their sons.
Young men can learn
 
many manly things
but rejection…
that’s a topic
normally left untouched.
 
What can a father say
to a young pup when
he starts seeing girls
as more than icky beings,
 
when he starts
to poke out his chest,
trying to exhibit
some sort of confidence,
 
trying to outplay,
trying to outdress,
trying to outwhatever
the other young ones
 
in order to catch
a certain girl’s attention.
But after all those
tactics of impression,
 
he hopes she notices
but she does nothing,
simply turning her back
and walking away.
 
What does a father say?
Does he tell his son
about all the girls
he failed to impress
 
or does he give
the little one space
and let him hurt alone
as he tries to get over her.
 
Rejection
is a hard lesson to teach.
No wonder it’s
a topic left untouched.