Civilian To Soldier Poem by Richard Jarboe

The evolution of boys to men,
Happens over and over again,
Soldiers, like children with a gun,
Hand-me downs from father to son.

The best way to conquer a civilian's will,
Is to drill the civilian, until he's ready to kill,
That way a civilian always does what he's told,
After passing inspection, he may even grow to be old.

In a short time he will learn about rain,
In a short time he will learn about mud,
In a short time he will learn about pain,
And in a matter of time he will learn about blood.

He will also learn how to flop, learn how to crawl,
Seek protection behind a stone wall,
He'll acquire the skill to stretch miles of barbed wire,
And if need be, he'll learn how to put out a fire.

He'll go on to learn not to care,
About screams of the wounded shrieking out there,
He'll also learn how to hold his position,
And not go crazy in his present condition.