I was hard-bodied lean
and muscled up
as a teenager.
Worked out relentlessly,
liked getting pumped up
with muscles getting bigger
and body getting stronger,
increasing reps,
increasing weight,
stronger and bigger
every week.
Enjoyed the feel of the iron,
the hardness of it.
Didn’t mind the calluses
on my hands,
wore them like tributes
to my workout ethic.
I was hard-bodied lean
strong like the iron I lifted.
But when my first
girlfriend came into
my life back then,
I liked the gentle
weakness I felt
being with her
and thinking about her.
The softness of her love
felt far better than the
hardness of the iron
and made me far more
happy than working out
with iron ever could.
Bob Boyd