Green Card Soldier

by Carl Palmer

seasonal migrant worker
unwed mother in Arizona
temporary work visa expires
sent back across the border
 
unwed mother in Arizona
allows her teen-aged son
sent back across the border
the chance to have a better life
 
allows her teen-aged son
now after his first eighteen years
the chance to have a better life
by staying and joining the US Army
 
now after his first eighteen years
he fights to become an American
by staying and joining the US Army
by becoming an American fighting man
 
he fights to become an American
offers his life for this country
by becoming an American fighting man
becomes an American citizen, posthumously