S is for Sonny Boy......

S is for Sonny boy, of which I have one,

Every day I think of the things he has done,

Teasing his sisters was top on his list,

Now he is grown, it is one thing they miss.

Every day was filled with his screaming and shouting,

Laughter, some tears, but never any pouting.

Sniffling and sneezing and green/yellow snot

Wiped on his sleeve, though he was told not.

Spitting seeds or peeing as far as he could.

The girls could not match him, not that they would.

Sighing when caught, and parents were told,

Son, you are making us very, very old.

Studied karate, ran track, played Rugby and wrestled a bit-

He wasn’t one on the sidelines to sit.

He tried scouting, knot tying, fishing and rowing,

I looked at my teen; couldn’t believe how fast he was growing.

He hardly did homework, just enough to get by

His teachers complained, His parents just sighed.

He lost books, his wallet, his hats, his phone,

All over the valley with his friends he did roam.

He primped in the bathroom, his sister’s complained--

Stayed out, played hard, tracked mud in the house when it rained.

Tried hard to guide him, but too many times I did scold,

Son, you are making me very, very old.

He surprised all of us when he joined the Marines.

A Corps of honor, commitment and courage--his dream.

He is fit, and he’s tough as he’s fought all his life

Eight sisters who filled his life with love, but some strife.

It wasn’t the life I envisioned for my only son;

Fighting for our freedoms, our safety, our nation

He was my baby, my toddler, my boy, my teen,

My young man, and now, my tough Marine.

When one of these warriors is lost, we all feel the pain--

Of his family, friends and Corp brothers, and our tears fall like rain.

My son, my Marine, may God watch over you,

Know we love you, are proud of the service you do.

Be safe, and know you are greatly missed by all. Love, Mom

Sandra Nelsen, mother of Michael Arlen Nelsen, CPL USMC