I wrote this for a friend who's going into the army.

"His Decision"

His struggle between “myself and I,”
The mirror echoes both man and boy.
These gadgets, these killing-machines, once mere toys.
But no longer, no longer.

His heart, his body, his mind-- they ache.
The barren night, his only companion.
Cramped in vile trenches-- abysmal canyons,
He longs for her, he longs for her.

He is only understood by some,
The few, the brave, and the fallen.
Commands whispered, he continues crawling.
A little longer, just a little longer.

His decision—the very thing that keeps him here,
he’s told it was not in vein,
“home is where he belongs,” they explain,
He’s stronger, so much stronger.