I’ll put on my brave face
And you shall don yours
And between us
The truth lies over and over as if nothing else matters
But maintaining
The lie
That is bravery honoured
And fear denied
*Let me be clear – bravery, is not always the stoic face of the trained warrior
It is also
If not more so
The trembling knees and sweating palms of the slight young flag bearer in the lead
Who marches
Toward certain death
A vision of his family and a prayer upon his breath
Bravery is raw and honest and messy.
Bravery is overcoming and stumbling and falling but continuing
Bravery is not always what we have been told
Bravery is the journey towards something, through difficulty.
Fraught with nerves and tension and terror
Bravery sometimes breaks minds
And hearts
The heroic, stoic face belies the humanity lost
The actual cost
Of maintaining the facade
Self discipline in times of danger is required
But sometimes a slip of the mask can allow others to take theirs off as well
Don’t put on your “brave” face when having a cup of coffee with a friend
They may feel compelled to don theirs
And then
Neither can be helped through the uncertain times in which we are living
There is a time for brave faces
And a time for authenticity
Show me your fear
Then
Together we will keep going
Bravely
That’s excellent!!! Really great writing.
Thanks 😊 I enjoyed writing this one as it is so damn true.
Agreed 😉
So true and very well put!
Thanks Katy
I guess bravery is overcoming our fears and moving forward. Eloquent as always, Kate.
Thanks Len – we are so hard on ourselves and there are so many pre conceived ideas – particularly on boys and men around bravery.