Soldier Poem by Ruby Dodd

M y son is in the infantry and he just turned nineteen
He is a high school graduate who just gave up his dreams
He left his old jalopy and a girl he loved so dear
And he told me ' mom don't worry cause i'll be home next year'
Well he loved jazz and hip-hop hamburgers cokes and green
And he wore his high school jacket wherever he was seen
But he had trouble spelling and a need to be a man
And I will count the minutes untill he's home again

Right now he's digging foxholes, he's learned to march and run
He knows the nomenclature of his G I issued gun
And he can wash his own fatiques or sooth his own tired feet
And my old heart still says his name with each and every beat
His hand can be a weapon or save a buddies life
And he'll shed tears in public when a soldier's lost his life
The anthem our country vibrates his very soul
And I would give up everything if his hand I could hold

Yes, he is now a fighting man who keeps our nations free
And he would pay the final price if God said that should be
Just like those before him who suffered fought and died.
I pray that God will send him back to be here by my side
Eachy night before I go to sleep to see him in my dreams
I pray to God to keep him safe in this our hour of need
Please hold him in your loving hands and guard him with your power
And tell him that I love him each and every hour

And when the conflict's over and the smoke has cleared away
Please send him home this service man to live a better way
An d I will always bless your name untill the day I die
For Lord you're sending back a man, when I sent you a boy