The young man moved north,
New York, to be precise,
A special young man,
Full of hope,
And seeing the world
Around him,
He asked,
"What can I do to make it better?"

It is hard to imagine him
A dinosaur at eighteen years,
But in many ways
He is a throw-back,
A half-century past his time,
At home in an era
When men dared to make a difference.
He is a young man with a future,
And the nerve to stare it in the eye.

Gifted youth
Too often seek riches,
Not able to distinguish them
From true reward.
But the best know
That a richness in spirit,
Flows only from service
To your fellow man.

The advice flows freely,
From every quarter,
Or so it would seem,
And it is accompanied by
Not such subtle urging.
"My way is the best way,
Young man.

But humbly, he defers,
Hoping that his silence will deter them.
For he must have his own peace,
To pursue clarity of thought,
And a course that he will stay.

Honesty was the first rule,
So nobly proferred by Mom and Dad,
And humility came next,
Emerging from within.
He is the best at all he does,
But you will never hear it from him.

Integrity, he learned at the altar,
From his faith, as he faced his God.
All of that which we are
Is known,
And recorded in the Book of Life.

Soon he came to discipline,
Which binds together all else,
For it is only through pain and sacrifice
That goals are ultimately achieved.

Watch closely for this young man,
As he makes his way through life.
Soon he will come to lead us,
As he follows the Spirit strong.
Have no fear for our youth,
As the years pass quickly by;
There is hope upon the horizon,
And there is goodness in the hearts of the young.