Not Enough

A man is told, "Be patient, kind,

Love her torn, with burdened mind.

Hold her hand through storm and fire,

Even when drained, don’t ever tire."

He is praised for staying when she is lost,

Paying pain’s unspoken cost.

His worth is weighed in what he gives,

How much he bends, how well he lives.

But when his pockets echo loud,

Or dreams lie buried 'neath the cloud,

She may not see the man inside—

Just what he lacks, or where he hides.

He is not enough until he is more,

Until he opens every door.

They tell him, “Build before you seek,”

That love is earned when men aren’t weak.

So he toils in quiet, bleeds unseen,

While hearts are sold for wealth and sheen.

Not all, but many pass him by,

Until success reflects the sky.

Yet still he hopes, despite the test,

That someone sees him at his less.

That love, if real, won’t need disguise—

But meet him where the silence lies.