A poem about what makes a man.

A lad of seventeen says to his dad,
“Next year at age eighteen, I’ll be a man.”
His dad says, “Perhaps. If so, I’d be glad.
Age only makes an adult. Understand?”

The youth: “I’m six-feet tall and very strong.”
His father responds, “Muscles make a brute;
but thinking that will make a man is wrong.
In judging a man, strength possessed is moot.”

“Well then, I’ll be a man once I’m married.”
His dad laughs. “Were that only true ! The joy
of many a wife dies when she’s harried
by a husband who’s an eternal boy.”

“What does make a boy become a man then?”
“It’s what’s inside that matters. You must first
put aside selfishness. You’re a man when
only doing your duty quenches your thirst.

“A man puts the needs of his family
and his country ahead of his own wants.
‘Serving others’ may seem a homily,
but failure to do this, a true man haunts.”