27/04/2026
THINGS WE DONT TALK ABOUT
Lately I feel like there is water trapped behind my eyes and it keeps asking for permission to fall. I grew up being taught that a man must be strong, that a man must fight, that a man must face life without bending, and that tears are for the weak while silence is for men. I learned early how to swallow pain and call it strength, how to smile while breaking and pretend that carrying heavy things was normal. But life did not remain gentle, and the weight did not stay light, and now I carry more than the lessons I was given prepared me for. These days I am trying my best to be a man, still showing up, still pushing, still holding everything together even when my hands are tired and my heart is loud. I am not crying because I want to give up, I am crying because I have been holding on for too long and life keeps placing reasons in front of me that deserve tears. I am not tired of life, I am just standing at a difficult point where waking up feels heavy and breathing feels like work. Some mornings I do not want to go to work even though I need the money and even though I need more than that, I need hope. When I try to talk about these things, people tell me it is normal, they say “my boy, this is life,” without realizing that some pain does not feel normal when you are living inside it. Sometimes people can only understand when they have worn the same shoes, when they have felt the fear, the pressure, and the loneliness themselves. There are things people do not talk about, especially among the youth of today, especially those of us who left our countries not for adventure but for survival, not for comfort but to seek shelter and a better life. We crossed borders carrying dreams, trauma, and expectations at the same time, learning how to survive in silence because complaining feels ungrateful when you were given a chance. People see us standing and assume we are strong, but they do not see how much strength it takes just to remain standing. When our pain is treated like nothing, it feels like being unseen, like shouting in a quiet room. If the water finally leaves my eyes, let it fall, because it is not weakness leaving my body, it is honesty. And if I cry today, it does not mean I am failing as a man, it means I am human, still trying, still here, and still carrying a life that is heavier than it looks.
