By Richie Black
There
is an ageless dilemma that every boy faces: is he a slave or is he a boy?
It wouldnít be a dilemma at all if there were better guidelines laid down for us, but itís never been that black and white. For some, still today, slaves and boys are one and the same: the terms as interchangeable as the very devices our MASTERS set out to use on us.
Even
JACK RINELLA in his writings finds it difficult to put into terms the
definition of a ìboyî. The slave is easy to define. Heís written: ìIf I sound like I'm
struggling for words here, it's because I am. There are no hard and fast
ërulesí for boys. TheyÖare rather self-defining.î
Far
be it from me, still so new to leather, at an age so far from the leather lore
so much of which was lost and we are struggling so hard to preserve, far be
it from me to explain to anyone what is and is not, who is and who is not,
and what was and what still can be.
But
i am, indeed, a boy, a leather boy, a Drummer boy, and it
is my prerogative to try.
That
said, i want to draw a picture of exactly ìWhoís Your Boy.î
Your
boy is any leather man ñ that very first time he smelled the rich, mustiness of
leather and preferred it to any manufactured scent or cologne heíd ever
smell again. Thatís who.
Your
boy is any leather man ñ that very first time when he earned a piece of
leather. For days after, he slept with it, caressed it, and sniffed it, until he
felt safe enough to remove it and still live its lifestyle even in its absence. Thatís who.
Your
boy is any leather man ñ that very first time when he leafed through the pages
of DRUMMER magazine and saw reflections of his true self staring back at
him there in black and white. Thatís who. (There is still a wealth of new
discovery to many boys as 26 years of vintage issues still change hands to this
day.)
Your
boy is any leather man ñ that very first time when his MASTER influenced him
with strength and control, seduced him and reduced him to a whimpering
submissive, boo-hooing at his feet and begging for knowledge and experience. Thatís
who.
Your
boy is any leather man ñ that very first time when he climbed into a sling and
felt the power of trust in its embrace and in the teachings of the
MASTER who placed him there. Thatís who.
Your boy is any leather man ñ that very first time when he zipped up his first chaps, pulled on his harness and vest, laced up his boots and learned, step by step, to walk the stride of leather pride. Thatís who.
Your
boy is any leather man ñ that very first time when he shared brotherhood and
spirit, when the realization overcame him that a greater leather community
outside his bedroom indeed existed. Thatís who.
Your
boy is any leather man ñ that very first time when he discovered the makings of
leather sex, of hot wax or CBT, of fisting or electricity, of SM, humiliation,
or watersports, or something of the sorts. Thatís who.
Your boy is any leather man ñ that very first time when
he did anything. There were hundreds of firsts: The very first time he
walked into a leather bar; the very first time he learned right from wrong and
left from right and which hanky goes into which pocket; the very first time he
used the word ìSIRî and meant it with the respect with which it was intended;
the very first time he made a mistake in protocol and in the next second
corrected himself; the very first time he used a condom and the first
time he didnít.
So
you know like i suspect, in any leather man, there is a boy. And in each boy,
there is a leather man who is wading through a world of ìfirsts.î Our strongest
leaders had to take their first steps; but through evolution, we are one
and the same. Weíre just at different stages of the same intended journey.
Itís
easy to forget the sleeping caterpillar for the bright butterfly, the tadpole
for the frog, the bud for the rose. But when we think of our most loyal,
faithful dog, Iíll bet we donít forget the feisty puppy he once was. How very
important it was to nurture that puppy, to love him, to shelter him and teach
him, to play with him and to scold him so heíd grow into a strong, lifelong
companion.
So
my message is as basic as basic gets: take care of us boys, teach us and reach
us, respects us and affect us, because we intend to become true, well-rounded
leather men who will take care of each other, our future, and the preservation
of leather. Thatís who.
And
you can count on it.