KIDS

No matter what the outcome
Of life's trials and trib's
The one thing sure to remain
Are my memories of us as kids
It was when we played hard and acted foolish
Leading some to say we were wild and fast
The cars, the girls, the beer and the brawls
They said, "These guys will surely come to pass!"

Then we took the show on the road
With Uncle Sam's service beckoning
And so we went, "Fresh meat!", they called us
To boot and basic with AIT soon following
There we were lost and lonely, tired and hungry
And the hours drudged on seemingly unending
But the game of life began to take on fresh purpose
With a place called Vietnam ominously looming

Day three sixty five came with a rush
As Charlie said "Welcome, M.F." with a bang
And all of John Wayne's preachings went out the door
When the tubes rang and the rockets sang
Fun, Travel and Adventure had been the lure
But the toothy recruiter hadn't told all
And had he been there right then
He would now be minus a pair of.

"Oh, well!" we said, "It can't get much worse!"
Only it did - beyond even our wildest dreams
But we were young and fit and smartly trained
Now the only things uncounted being the screams
And the ankle deep blood and the hurting and dying
Things like that just didn't happen back on the block
And so the children we once were
Began fading, unjustly, with every tick of the clock

Back in the "World" the Front was raging
With crazy happenings an everyday occurrence
And while they could put men on the moon
No one could make peace on earth - and haven't since
But duty prevailed and we soldiered on
Tho' with somewhat less enthusiasm than before
And watched as days and people came and went
Almost like through a revolving door

So we now know times and friends are fleeting
Altho' we still lean on them like a crutch
Even tho' we could not bring ourselves to say
"Brothers, I miss you so much!"
Childhood fantasies are now everyday realities
And drugs and booze can help alleviate life's skids
While "It don't mean nothin'!" has become our creed
And who dares to condemn us - We were just Kids!

©Copyright 1987 by Jess Paul Tomey

"Kids" was completed in 1987 and is widely circulated among Veterans and other friends in my home state of Oklahoma and other places.