the pressure to fit

They say that strength is in the body,

in the sharp angles,

the tightness of skin over muscle,

the way a man's chest rises

and his shoulders broad.

And so, I lift,

push,

sweat for hours

until my body aches

with the weight of expectation.

But what if my body doesn't fit the mold?

What if I am more than the lines of muscle

and the press of a shirt?

The weight of trying to look the part

sometimes feels like a war

with myself.

I want to feel like a man,

but not through the lens of someone else's idea

of what it should be.

I want to be strong in my own way,

to find my own shape

and let it be enough.

But the world keeps asking,

"Are you enough yet?"