The Boy Returned as a Man

There once was a time when his family seemed good,
And as a young child he tried to do what he should.
He kept up his studies, and sometimes did well
But unless he was perfect, they made his life hell.

The time would soon come when things weren't quite right.
His anger would flare, he'd stand up to fight.
A fight with his mom with words that would hurt,
A blow with his fist felled his dad to the dirt.

He left home with a backpack, and not much more than that,
Wearing his tattered old jacket, and blue baseball cap.
He left his collections, his trophies, and toys
To hang with his new friends, his "homies," his boys.

He searched for a few years for a good place to fit
To find those to call "family" and chill out a bit.
But no one had cared about what he felt or he thought
They drank up their own lives, and felt quite distraught.

He stopped at a window one day and stared in,
Then stood a bit taller and jutted his chin.
The posters were colorful, filled with words that shown pride
In his country, and pictures of comrades who stood side-by-side.

He walked into the office and signed on the line,
He made the commitment to show honor this time.
And it wasn't too long before he'd stand up to fight
In a far-away land, with all of his might.

He came home to his family with a much different view
Of the world as a whole, and of his mom and dad, too.
The sadness they shared from the past was now gone,
After years without contact, they now had their son.

They stood proud and tall, as tears streamed from their eyes
A soldier presented them with Stars and Stripes.
The bugler played solemnly, "Taps"; prayers were then said
For their son, as they tucked him into Eternity's Bed.