Where are all the men

My brother said if a man-eating lion got out of the zoo

He would starve to death

There’s a whole lot of TV interviews of moms and aunts, grandmas

A whole family’s breadth

But there are no fathers, uncles, or grandpas

Young men with no one to look to

I wish I could say they’re at work but that’s not true

Are they out changing flat tires

Or in the backyard lighting fires

Are they working out

Or cleaning the house

Are they reading to the kids

Are they teaching them how to fight

Are they fixing the light

Maybe mowing the lawn?

No, they’re nowhere

It seems all the men are gone

I did see one in my house today

He said he cleaned all the ants away

After getting home from work

He’d even cooked dinner – what a perk!

He even said some nice words

Then around the corner

I saw one weed-whacking

Then he chased his daughter around the yard

I heard her laughing

She’ll grow up to marry a good guy – if she can find one

Too bad her dad’s life was cut short

One day in court someone got custody of that little girl

Turns out my brother adopted her

He spent his money so she could go to school and wear nice clothes and stay out of an orphanage

He read to her and gave her a place to live

She became strong, a zookeeper

My husband worked there at the zoo too

He was the director

He strived and strived to make it better

Trained good staff

Treated people and animals well

A good man with a story to tell

He even brought in a new giraffe

My husband’s father hadn’t treated him so good but he decided in life he’d be kind where he could

He offered zoo jobs to young men

Gave them a place to grow and begin

Taught them how to fix locks and how to build exhibits

How to keep clean socks

He lifted them up

That young girl married one of those men

They had a son and taught him to be kind

He learned to fix things and properly feed his mind

He sought wisdom

From other men

He made good choices

Looked out for the weak

Made the most of what he’d been given

Maybe it takes just one man – or one woman – to turn things around

Maybe a prayer and some practical living to save the men