His mother's eyes are saddened, and her cheeks <br />are stained with tears, <br />And I'm facing now the struggle that I've <br />dreaded through the years; <br />For the boy that was our baby has been changed <br />into a man. <br />He's enlisted in the army as a true American. <br /> <br />He held her for a moment in his arms before <br />he spoke, <br />And I watched him as he kissed her, and it <br />seemed to me I'd choke, <br />For I knew just what was coming, and I knew <br />just what he'd done! <br />'Another little mother had a soldier for a son. <br /> <br />When we'd pulled ourselves together, and the <br />first quick tears had dried, <br />We could see his eyes were blazing with the fire <br />of manly pride; <br />We could see his head was higher than it ever <br />was before, <br />For we had a man to cherish, and our baby was <br />no more. <br /> <br />Oh, I don't know how to say it! With the sorrow <br />comes the joy <br />That there isn't any coward in the make-up of <br />our boy. <br />And with pride our hearts are swelling, though <br />with grief they're also hit, <br />For the boy that was our baby has stepped <br />forth to do his bit,<br /><br />Edgar Albert Guest<br /><br />http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/the-boy-enlists/
