When I went India I saw so many men and little boys walking with their arms around each other as they chatted. It made me wonder why in Australia we would be so scared of this, it didn’t threaten anyone’s masculinity in India, why should it here? So I wrote this story:
Two boys
Arm in arm
Became two warriors
Two husbands
Two fathers
Two leaders
And still they walk arm in arm
One day when war was upon them
They led a march to a strange land
Arm in arm
The strangers laughed
And told them they were not men
Because they walked arm in arm
So they challenged the strangers to a duel
And now the strange land is called home
And the mark of a fierce warrior is to march
Arm in arm
Today here’s a little epilogue of the ordeal the warriors put the folk from the strange land through.
Two men
Too proud
Too fearful
Became two prisoners
They pull the cart
Hand in hand
Sweat loosens their grip
Their hands slip
Sharp leather tongues lick their backs
Their hands snap back together
The tongues stop
Bound forever because of their fears
freyawrightbrough 