A Man of fortitude shall
forge Himself,
and know how iron
can be tied to muscle-manacles,
be gasoline and guns
be best to boast
but loath how flowers
can be formed in verse.
A Man of valor knows
the iron-taste of blood,
knows the weight
of chains and locks
but fails to hear
the heartbeats from a book.
A Man of steel can build
the walls of libraries
but He will leave
and never be librarian.
Muscle man standing by Hans Baldung
Today we shall write about the elements at dVerse where Sarah hosts.
Björn Rudbergs writings 
Toxic masculinity right there. Those men who chain themselves to an image, and can’t stop and enjoy the flowers, or read the books. I like your repetition of iron, and your use of it as a metaphor. Perfect response, Bjorn.
What Sarah says I feel too. Really good,
Snap! We both chose to write about iron, Björn, with such very different results. I’m so pleased you wrote about the aged librarian, although in an enigmatic way. I love the phrase ‘tied to muscle-manacles’ and the idea of hearing ‘the heartbeats from a book’.
You painted his character very well Bjorn. Strength does not only mean physical as well , but also what is inside – hearing the heartbeats from the book. Love this Librarian series Bjorn.
lol the antithesis to your familiar librarian character .. love it!
Perfect Bjorn. My favorite is the second stanza ending with ‘but fails to hear the heartbeats from a book.’ So true with some men.
A sturdy framework that holds a world of pain. You have described Iron Man so well.
Great contrast to the librarian, for sure. Well said.
It so good to be a Gemini, a warrior poet, with a foot in each sphere, and therefore immune to your metaphor; I jest. Incredible job, brother, words with iron ribs that are inscribed with flowers.
Oh! The play on contrasts is so powerful. The last stanza, especially.
and here i was waiting to hear about your well-beloved librarian. 🙂
And this is exactly why we need each other.
Love the metaphor you’ve created. Ironman does have his limitations.
That first stanza is just full of lines that take the breath away. Masterfully crafted Bjorn.
Yes, might is not necessarily (if ever) right.
I think a man of iron is lacking in inner strength. A man that builds a library but, never ventures in is sad Bjorn.
a strong poem Bjorn…..you tested your metal with this one! Jim