Real men are scarce Even more scarce than the new naira note In the regime of Buha-Fiele With statistics straining to produce matching data. But a real man is a stranger to this generation He is mocked and termed weak by his peers Called names by his friends such as ‘Woman wrapper’ ‘Weak man,’ Yet he knows his role and plays it well To keep Eve’s daughter, Her children safe, hale and hearty. She was created from underneath his arm To be shielded and defended by him To be a personal portion of him, Provided for by him Exist as his own flesh. Generations come and go With man variously born and bred, Many uncouth and untrained in the affairs of manhood, Like an untrained child handling a gun, They desire and acquire brides With no experience in handling Eve’s daughters. Varied calamities have befallen the weak, Women and children Even these men themselves Resulting from the gross insensitivity Of man’s untrainedness Who stand on wrong assumptions, the real man; Means ability to bed and impregnate a female, To make a woman obey his commands, To be desired erotically by Eve’s daughter, To deprive and starve her into submission, To subdue her with chores and more chores, To create harder chores to keep her in servitude, Make her cry day by day Render her helpless and frustrated. Yes! He is a real man that accomplishes this feat? Alas! This portrays a perfect description of fake and unreal men Who hide their insecurities and cowardice Under woman torture Straining their neck muscles at the weaker vessel, Yet hiding from the strong whip, Who poses as responsibilities that give men a daily glare, Putting a three-square meal on the family table, Sufficiently clothing the nuclear home, Defending them from visible and invisible danger. From present, looming and future domestic and environmental catastrophes, Scratching Eve’s daughter exactly where she itches. A real man is sensitive enough to give of himself And substance before requests are presented Perceiving and building latent talent in the Eve-portion he receives, Raising her proudly on his sturdy shoulders, Cheering her on to shine her inherent light Proud of the Eve-progeny that bears his name. A real man bears patiently With the faults in the she-package, Knowing that he brings to the table his own share That she deals with daily. A real man never hits a woman! He never puts a trap in the way of a woman, Never abandons her with a project she desires to execute, But defends downtrodden women and children With his life. Real men are hard to come by. They have travelled to the moon Or to Jupiter, Sheer chance brings one face to face with a real man.