Ode to a Teenage Boy

I think I've found the missing link
'Tween animal and man.
He sleeps and eats upon my couch,
And texts whene'er he can.

Earphones are his closest friends,
And through them my son hears
A wretched noise that grinds like gravel
Deep inside my ears.

Oh, to have the baby boy
That played with wooden toys,
Who hugged his mom like she was gold,
The prince of little boys!

And yet, my friends all tell me
To enjoy him while I can,
For one day soon, this lanky boy
Will leave home as a man,
And then I'll miss the dishes
Hidden underneath the couch.
I'll miss the way he grumbles
When I tell him not to slouch.

The greasy hair,
The pimpled face
That grace my home today
Will all too soon be somewhere else,
In college, far away.

And so I have determined
To admire while I can
The lanky boy that one day soon
Will be a full-fledged man.