Boys
There are boys who like soccer, football, rugby
Boys who like to dance, to sing, to act for fun
There are boys who pretend they are someone else
Boys who hide behind a character
Boys who destroy those who don’t
There are boys who are kind, friendly, helpful
Boys who bully, beat and attack
Boys that stand up to those boys
Boys who put down those who stand up
There are boys who aren’t scared to be themselves
Boys who hurt others because they won’t be themselves
There are boys who go out with friends for fun
Boys who go out to hunt other boys
There are boys who aren’t afraid to show vulnerability
Boys who slag them for doing so
Boys who respect all around them
Boys who can’t respect
These are be the same boys
Only fear separates them
Brothers
We are brothers, though we all come in different shapes and forms, we are still brothers.
Though we stand on opposing sides of wars, we are still brothers.
Though we may batter, bruise, punish, puncture, harm and hurt each other in pursuit of our own ideals, weather they are just or sadistic, we are still bound by the fact that we that bleed the same blood and roam the same rock as each other.
So though you may look and a man and curse him your enemy. He is still your brother and should be treated as such
Each Other
There are boys out there in the world of self-hatred, damaged by the narrative that they are not good enough. These boys are targeted by sad, lonely boys who have virtually gone through the same experiences. In a way it is a continuous cycle of boys who are paralysed from expressing themselves, telling each other that they are not good enough, gay, retarded, depressing to be around, lonely, annoying, and any other hurtful adjective. It saddens me seeing this as it is just the insecure, covered side of each boy throwing shame at others to try to shed that self-shame that might haunt them.
No one boy is the same. They might have grown up poor or rich, sad or happy, surrounded by friends or lonely, yet this is all subject to change, because as our life goes on, it shapes us into the people that we are meant to be, and in my opinion, the people that you surround yourself with shape the person you will be most prominently. We are the boys that in the midst of the fire from the guns of each others’ negative sides, help each other in times of need, understand each other even though we might not have experienced the same things, and that finally, make us true brothers.
Stars
There are boys who run laps around the building, while boys take paces around a classroom.
There are boys that plan a big action, and those who take the first achievable one.
There are boys who draw what the stars look like, and boys who build rockets to reach and see the stars
They
They are boys who throw glue sticks at the ceiling
And they are boys who are not afraid to hide their true feeling
They are boys that jerk off to A.I.
And they are boys who wouldn’t hurt a fly
As Frank ocean said “A sad man cannot cry in place where man can see never saw his father weep this old man thought it weak”
And it is this culture that makes men want to throw themselves off of the highest peak
And women too scared out to speak out in case they will be known as a leak or a sneak
Our Brothers
The boys are our brothers.
Through thick and thin.
Dark days bring us closer than ever,
Pick each other off the floor and bring you sky-high.
The boys you have THOSE conversations with,
They’re the ones that last beyond the grave and on for eternity.
The boys are our brothers from another mother
Some Boys
There were boys from Benildus
Who were all here for school
Some nice some mean but respectful overall
Some boys into sport Some not
Some boys into English, some Irish, some maths, all different subjects
Some who like school, some don’t
But overall everyone enjoy it I think.
There Were Boys
There were boys who prefer school over their own home,
There were boys who hang out with fake friends
There were boys who are scared to open up about themselves
There were boys who were brave enough to be themselves
There were boys who envied the ones who could be themselves
Think
There are boys who think they are tough and they aren’t.
There were boys who thing they know everything when the don’t.
There were boys who think when they fight that everyone should join them.
There are boys that would rather blend in than be different.
There are boys who want to be a certain type of man that to them is cool.
Masked
There were boys who masked their troubled childhood with anger towards others.
There were boys who masked their sadness with joy happiness.
There were boys who had to meet their parents unrealistic expectations and fail.
There Are Boys
There are boys who are kind
There are boys who are creative
There are boys who are generous
There are boys who are smart
There are boys who are from Ireland
There are boys who are good at Fortnite
There are boys who are not good at Fortnite
Speak Up
There are boys who poke fun at others for being different all while being uncomfortable with their skin fade and tracksuit.
There are boys who hide behind a fake image just to cover up their vulnerabilities.
There are boys who make bad decisions intentionally just to impress others.
There are boys who laugh at those making these terrible choices as it entertains them.
There are boys who see all this and don’t feel comfortable with it, but don’t have the courage to speak up.
Judged
There are boys who judge others for being gay
There are boys who judge others for being trans
There are boys who judge others for being gender queer
There are boys who judge others for being bisexual
There are boys who make fun of disabilities
There are boys who use autism as an insult
There are boys who use autism as a joke
There are boys who judge women for what they wear
There are boys who judge others based on their interests
There are boys who just want to be themselves and can’t.
Stopping
There were boys that saw the dust in the light and those that did not and saw further.
Boys whose questions abandoned by poorly-lit window sills and doormats.
Boys whose dreams were constant companions and would drown them.
Who travelled far from reason and never came back, only to find answers.
Boys who clambered the stairs of the steeple only to be met with another step and stop.
Those footsteps that still echoed and those that stalled and stilled.
There were many kinds of stopping and there were those that could not.
People
There are people who are smart
There are people who are dumb
People who have nowhere else to go tonight
People who have a lovely family at home
Those who bully
And those who get bullied
Men who are open
While others are insecure
But are all the same
These Boys Come From Benildus
These boys come from benildus
There are boys who support rovers
There are boys who play rugby
There are boys who play GAA
There are boys with their careers planned
There are boys with no plans
There are boys who will get 625 on the leaving cert
There are boys who won’t sit the exams.
Without
There are boys who woke up without a roof over their heads
There are boys who live in constant fear and scared to leave their house
There are boys who live in areas where they must fit in with the crowd and can’t be themselves
There are boys who struggle to get any positive result out of anything they do
There are boys who are so lucky to have what they have, yet aren’t grateful for them
Worst of all there are boys without any of these.
Or anything else.
Who
There are boys who have shit trims not because they want to but because money or have to.
We are boys who crawl under tables and vape in the bathrooms.
There are boys who love and care but are afraid to show it.
There are boys who are scared of opinions and ridicule of others.
There are boys who have nothing good in their life but don’t show it.
There are boys who are afraid to express their personality.
There are boys who hate on others for things they are insecure about.
There Are Boys
There are boys who intentionally provoke others, there are boys who beat other boys up for fun, there are boys who discriminate against boys and girls, there are also boys who have to be the lowest and most dominant.
But there are also boys who say ‘please and ‘thank you’, there are also boys who will treat anybody with kindness, there are also boys who have sensitive sides that they don’t show to others. And there are also boys who like men.
From Ballymun to Foxrock
There are boys that think their hard, but deep down everyone has a soft side.
No one is that heartless.
Everyone cares about other people, no matter where they come from.
From the flats of Ballymun, to the mansions of Foxrock,
Everyone has a sensitive side whether they show it or not.
What’s Underneath
There are boys who lie, hide and cry in their shadow.
There are boys who think they can hide that by building a hulk-like physique.
There are boys who think that physique is more important then what that physique hides underneath. There are boys who bully others for showing what they couldn’t be brave enough to show.
There are boys that wish they could show what’s underneath but are too scared.
There are boys who bully others for they see themselves in that person.
Friends
When I come to school to see my friends
I always feel better and welcomed
I am never having a bad day at school when I’m around my friends.
Troubles
There were boys who cried after a slagging.
There were boys who beat up other boys because they were getting beat up at home.
There were boys who got built because they felt insecure.
There were boys that thought school was bad, when other boys want to go to school to get away from the troubles at home.
Forever
The boys who care are the men who are your brothers
The ones that are thick and thin with you through the bad time
The ones that support you and help you through the hard times are the ones that mean forever.
But There Are Boys
I come from a safe and calm place with boys who play games like football
But there are boys who come from places of poverty
Boys who don’t play games like football
Boys who aren’t safe,
But there are boys who are in fear of other boys
Boys who enjoy provoking those boys in fear
And there are boys who are nothing at all.
From a Safe and Calm Place
I come from a calm and safe place with a family who are intelligent athletic and listen.
There are boys who play Gaelic football and cross country.
I come from a family who value respect and gentlemanly behaviour,
and have taught me to do better in life and treat people especially women well.
I come from parents who love me and care for me
I have siblings who support me and encourages me to do better in school and in life.
My Favourite Place
When I come to school to see my friends,
I always feel extremely welcomed and I’m never ever having a bad day.
I’m always having the most fun with to all my friends.
We are always playing sport and running around: rugby, GAA and soccer.
When I come to school, I’m at my favourite place
Untitled
There are boys who stay awake at night thinking about their feelings.
There are boys who are insecure about themselves cause of others.
There are boys who want to cry but no tears come out of their eyes.
There are boys who can’t truly be themselves.
There are boys who can’t control their own wills.
There are boys who want to be men.
Pretending
There were boys who pretended to be someone they weren’t just so they could fit in with the other pretenders.
There were boys who stayed up all night worrying about what others thought of them.
There were boys who studied until their energy was drained before coming in to school the next day to be called need and try hard.
There were boys who idolised characters such as Andrew Tate while secretly questioning their own sexuality.
There were boys who sexualised teachers and friend’s sisters and mothers so that they could be seen to be the same as everyone else
Finding Their Way
Boys can be loud like summer rain,
Or quiet as a windowpane.
They laugh too hard, they joke around,
And somehow turn silence into sound.
Some chase dreams with fearless eyes,
Some keep their hopes in secret skies.
They stumble, learn, and start anew,
Growing into who they’re meant to be true.
Some are kind in little ways,
With thoughtful hearts on ordinary days.
And though they may not always show,
There’s more beneath than people know.
Boys are stories still being spun,
Messy, bright, and full of fun
Learning, changing, finding their way.
Becoming themselves more every day.
People
There are people who mess about
There are people who obey the rules
And there are others who don’t
There are people who go to prison
And others who try to escape
There are people who are innocent
And others who are guilty
There are people who get away with it
And people who don’t.
Fly and Fall
There are boys who want to rule the world,
Then there are boys that will,
There are boys who strive for greatness,
Who put those down who work to it,
There are boys that take from others,
To replace what they don’t have,
There are boys who fly
And boys who fall,
But the boy that fears not his feelings,
Will never fall as far.
We Are People
We are people who think violence is fine, and is entertainment
We are people who think the colour of your skin shows how dangerous you are
We are people who think money is the key to your happiness
We are people who think being LGBTQIA+ makes you evil makes you against people
We are people who thinks your religion shows who you are who we are.
Boys
There are boys who cross the street for women
There are boys who take the slagging acting like they don’t give a fuck
There are boys who love their sisters with special needs but are embarrassed to be seen with them or talk about them
There are boys who have loved, boys who have hated, boys who have been full of life, and boys who have been empty and numb.
I Come From a House
I come from a house where manners are important.
I come from a house where sports are popular.
There are boys who talk good and bad about people.
There are boys who talk bad about girls.
I come from a school with brick walls.
Untitled
There are boys from privilege and ones who are poor.
There are boys who can’t sit still, and boys who can’t walk at all.
There are boys so sick of there lives that they would try to end them,
and boys with so few days left that they would kill for more.
There are boys with lots and boys with little,
and boys who know not what they have to lose.
Unaware
There are boys who didn’t eat this morning not because they where full.
There are boys who wake up longing to be asleep once more.
There are boys who do not know why they are here or what’s their point.
We are what we see, what happens when we see nothing?
Worst of all there are boys who are unaware, they never see any of it.
Masks
There are boys who hide behind masks of dumbbells and protein.
Boys who’d rather fit in than be happy.
Then there are the boys with real smiles who fit into their own puzzle rather than the own with masks.
The former despise the latter.