Open Notepad: Recollections, rants, and commentary

Mused Thoughts - We were boys once

We were boys once.

Small town kids, cops and robbers.

Sticks were guns, rocks were grenades.

What fun that was. 

Young, wild, and free. 

Living life without a care in the world. 

We were boys once.

Football players. Track stars. Whiz kids and hellbent jokers. 

Uniforms, shiny medals. Who knew a strip of cloth meant so much to what a "real" man was.

What a day meeting them that was.

Teenagers, wild, and free.

Living in the moment. 

We were boys once.

Prom kings, first dates, first kisses. boyfriends.

Suit and tie. We thought how grand it'd be to grow up fast. Wear bigger shoes than we could.

Roses, senior classes. Goodbyes, farewells.

What times that you thought would be the best.

Young men, wild, and free.

Facing towards uncertainty.

We were boys once.

Paperwork, medical. Hard needles, sharp words. 

Shirt and slacks. This would be the moment that we thought would make it grand.

Raised hands. Oaths of brotherhood. Something in our hearts.

What an unforgettable moment.

Young men, naive, and free.

Stepping towards something bigger.

We were young once. 

Sweat. Blood. Tears. Pride.

Brown campaign hats. Screaming voices,  broken spirit. Melded, honed, sharpened. 

What a day we'd all call, "Black Friday".

Young men. Broken and shaped.

Dress shoes clacking on pavement.

we were young men once.

Gunpowder. Lead. Fire. Blood.

Ribbons on our chest. Medals on our clothes. Black bags and wooden coffins of friends.

What some would call heroic, was something we called duty. 

Nothing like before. 

Boots on the ground.

He was young once. 

A moment. A flash. Blood. Fear.

Iron taste. Heart pounding out of my chest. 

What some would call vicious, was something we called survival.

Nothing can prepare you for it.

Empty eyes. Staring back at me.

He was young once. 

Just like me.