A Boy from the Midwest

A Boy from the Midwest

A young boy listening to stories of war
The likes of which he'd never heard before
From uncles and cousins, of raging battles
Of bullets flying, of brave men dying

This young boy, restless he grew
Wanting to grow up too fast
Wanting to try something new
Yearning to do what grown men do

He hated school, he hated the rules
He wanted to grow too fast
He wanted to pay his dues, like grown men do
He longed to experience something new

He left school, he left those rules
He packed his things, his heart did sing
His mother cried, Dad shook his hand
He went off to help protect this great land

He loved classes in the Army, he loved this school
He'd hated learning before, but now this education had new rules
He found he loved to learn
These new lessons fulfilled a need for which his heart had yearned

A boy from the Midwest
Learning, drilling, doing his best
Some lessons are in a classroom
Some lessons you learn, sometimes from doom

Some lessons were easy, some were hard
Some where you can make mistakes
Some, in battle, must be precise, for bigger stakes
Some lessons not heeded cause you strife
Some lessons not taken, cause you to forfeit your life

He found growing into a man's not always easy
Sometimes, growing pains make one queasy
But grow he did, a man he became
He fought for his country
Even though some may not know his name

(c) S. Weathers all rights reserved 2011