11. When the Boy Leads​

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He looks like a man.
He speaks like a man.
He takes a woman’s body with the hunger of a man.

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But when closeness comes near,
the boy inside him jumps into the lead.

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He wants love but cannot stay in it,
needs affection but fears tenderness,
desires connection but clings to freedom,

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craves loyalty but offers only maybes,
searches for “the one” but collects many,
longs to be chosen but refuses to choose.

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He practices the art of half-presence.
He keeps one foot out the door even as he kisses with both hands.
He makes promises inside moments and breaks them as soon as moments pass.

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He avoids the truth by drowning it in charm.

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A man becomes a boy again every time he is asked to stay.
Because he has never learned how to remain without losing
himself.

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And so, he repeats his story:

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He hungers.
He takes.
He leaves.
He regrets.
He returns.