The Fraternal Order of Good Ol' Boys
Oct 25 2023
Nicknames.
Secret handshakes.
Initiation rights.
It seems like child's play,
all this intrigue
and earnest ritual.
But men still do it,
gathering
in fraternal groups
and wearing silly hats;
all of them
boyish enthusiasts,
no cynics or women allowed.
At least the joiners do;
the hustlers, making connections,
the followers, craving direction,
and the glad-handing extroverts
who love to schmooze.
But mostly
the true believers,
who take themselves too seriously
to be content with workaday lives.
Of course, as civic-minded men
and pillars of the community
they do good works;
sponsoring little league,
giving Christmas turkeys
to nervous shut-ins
the working poor,
a park bench
for the old and infirm.
While people like me
keep to ourselves.
Fraternal orders of one;
no outfits or ranks,
no musty meeting halls or catered feasts,
no conspiratorial nods
and knowing winks
when a brother happens to pass
on busy streets.
Self-styled sophisticates,
we look down
on these worthies and boosters
as earnest enthusiasts,
living as their fathers did
back when men were men.
But deep down
secretly envy them.
For their purposeful lives.
For how secure they must feel
at their place in the world.
For their network of fellows and friends
who will be there for them
in times of need.
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