What is it about southern men
they have this charm
much like smelling incense from afar
You can not see it
but once you smell it
you can almost feel it
moving about in the air
taking and making its own way
not intruding upon or begging for space
simply existing in their own
when you do see them
these southern men
their words seem to match their body
their moves seems as a mystical dance born into them from a time long ancient
a time whose name was lost long ago
Their speech is akin to song
not in so much as what they speak
but how they speak
twangs
drawls
lazy vowels
slightly forced and gently pushed air in the middle and end of sentences.
These southern men
they have a sense of knowing
a sense of collective individuality
mixed with comfort and ease
unique and similar to them one and all
even in the way they are shaped
curves seemed rounder
skin tones richer
hair fuller and baldheads smoother
I'll only use the word
gentlemen
to say that they are not
to say it is not the thing,
its more a quality of character that they seem to share
These southern men
it may be in they way they say hello with their smiles and every so slightly
show you a mystery in the corner curve of their profile
their gait and posture entice interest more than lust
try as i might to put my finger on it
I fail
they do not have the same defensive and raw edge of east coast men
but when they do reach a place of anger it is well known
they do not have the same cavalier sun worshiper disguise that might mask a master hustler or genius urban intellectual as west coast men
but do not mistake their quiet of words for absence of thought.
I've known southern men to contemplate the entirety of the universe the expanse of existence
while speaking in between sips of iced tea
or rambling while working on an old beat up truck.
Their eyes bewitch but not beguile
You are always a willing participant and always
if only slightly
aware of what is happening
Its not that other men do not have their own
it just has been for me that
Southern men
have always been like an interesting story that seems new everytime you read it
that first edition of a rare book that most have never heard of
that most fascinating work of art you see at the fleamarket most would pass by
If you have ever known a southern man
you understand
they seem to somehow speak to a place in your soul asking,
"Might it be alright if I enchanted you?"
©Christopher F. Brown 2014
