A Soldier's Story

Dressed in a soldier’s attire His young son he has come to admire Come give dad a hug, he states A statement that he anticipates Uncle Sam calls for his service once more To his wife he says, “Someday we will be like before” As he salutes the flag men have died to protect His wife under her breath silently does object When he enters the cab his son yells dad please stay With tears in his eyes he waves as the cab drives away The commanding officer barks orders and he’s ready to fight No home cooked meal and hours of “sports center” tonight “The battle field in Baghdad is no picnic”, according to his friend No lie there, but America is what he was born to defend The first night no action just helping others in need How he wanted to be home but first he needs to succeed The next day he hears gunshots nearby as he ducks his head After the shootings he gazes petrified, as the remaining carry away the dead Weeks turn into months, as he counts the days till he departs These men he says deserve more than honor and purple hearts It’s been a year and Uncle Sam finally let him go to his wife And a son who is worth more to him than his very own life That night he packs his things as the gun fire escalates Poor Jim falls to his knees as he sees a glimpse of heavenly gates A shot to the chest is what the medic screams After much help from army medical teams He wakes up to the sound of an eager young man He shouts “Dad did you beat the Taliban” His wife looks at him and wipes his tears As he thanks the lord for all of his years