I have this nagging thorn in my side
That aches with every heartbeat
Every lonely day
Every time I see a loving couple
Called pride

It’s more of a nuisance than you know
Because of its existence
You watch love ones come
And you watch love ones go

You can’t just suck it up
Because it sucks you in
As a man with a lot of it
Maybe too much
I’ve lost a lot
Because of what society says a man is
You fall into that un-pleasurable place
Where your pride is tested
And sometimes leaves you with a shamed face

You can’t love hard because a man doesn’t
You can’t be monogamous
Because pride says that you should have women
And plenty
But at the end of the day
When you’re alone with your vice
Whether it’s a smoke,
A drink,
Your drug of choice
Screaming at the image in the mirror
Because you’re alone
And want love
Affection
Trust beyond belief
Take a minute to listen
Because pride doesn’t have a voice

But you do
If you can relinquish your rights
Sign them over to the most selfish person you know
Let them have your prideful ways
Tendencies
And faults that come along with having it
Then in the end you can have the love you want
And your boundaries are never ending
The sky is the limit
Love will overpower pride any day
I speak as a man
Who’s been through this….

Pride…selfish as it wants to be at best