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A Soldier is Born
by
Anne Bellah
Do you remember
When you held him in your arms
You made a promise to yourself
That he would be unharmed
The little boy with fire-trucks
And Army Tanks
Pulling pig-tails, playing tag
And how he loved to play those pranks
Cops-and-Robbers
Was his favorite game to play
Playing dead was so much fun
He could play that game all day
His delight was battery-powered
Army Guns
The sound that they had made
Made it so much fun
And he played Hide-and-Seek
With all his friends
He would still be hiding
Even when the day would end
Do you remember
When he made the Honor Roll
And on Christmas Day
How his eyes lit up
When he opened G.I. Joe
Injured animals he would bring to you
Saying, "Mommy please..."
You nursed them back to health
Just so he could set them free
Do you remember
All the skinned up knees
And how he showed off his first scar
And his broken arm when he was eight
'cuz he climbed that tree too far
And he'd climb anything
He'd climb down and he'd climb up
And how your heart would skip a beat
When he said, "Watch me jump!"
The sandbox was his favorite place
And he loved to play in dirt
And he would not shed one tear
When he would get hurt
Do you remember
When he made his first home-run
How the bases had been loaded
Being proud he was your son
And the three-point shot
At the basketball game
It was the shot he made
That won the game that day
And the strategies in football
That blew the other team away
How proud you were of him
On Graduation Day
Then three months down the road
He came home to say
"Mom, I'm leaving in six weeks
'cuz I joined the Army."
Now he's riding in an Army Tank
Sporting G.I. Joe fatigues
And the gun he's toting now
No - it's not make-believe
Cops-and-Robbers is a game
He finds no longer fun
If he shoots someone
It's to the death
The death of Army Guns
Battery-powered Army Guns
That were his favorite as a boy
In the Hell that he is living in
They use them to destroy
The Base that he is stationed at
Is loaded with new meaning
That three-point shot is now point-blank
And he's jumping from Airplanes
Now he has whole new strategies
He uses everyday
'cuz if he don't get it right
He could get blown away
His heart will surely skip a beat
With each explosion
And he'll pray unto the Heavens
That he'll go home unharmed
Hide-and-Seek is so much different
In the Sandstorm, he can't see
Now he's running everyday
To avoid becoming a Casualty
The sandbox is much bigger now
The taste of dirt is everywhere
And the hurt that lies deep within
Fills his eyes with tears
The knees that he had skinned up
When he was, oh, so young
Sometimes they feel so weak
At times they are so numb
But he'd climb any building
And he'd climb any tree
He'd climb the highest mountain
To fight for our country
And now he's playing tag
With his life on the line
Yes - he must watch his back
To be sure no one is behind
When he is climbing ropes
He recall pulling on pigtails
And he has scars that are so deep
Too deep for him to tell
And the injuries are just to much
Too much for him to bear
All he can do is hope
The medics will soon be there
And he's not playing pranks
No - this is not a joke
For the ones who do not make it
In a Flag they will be cloaked
The only thing that's broken now
Is his unsettled heart
The Hell that he is living in
He will always be a part
But the HONOR that he carries
With him to this day
Shines a light deep inside to him
That will never fade away
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