Always one to fall in line,

I learned early to obey.

Silence and respect protect

Against the everyday.

 

Like pieces on a chess board,

Each operates within their bounds,

I made myself the faithful pawn 

To keep the royals safe and sound.

 

Afraid to reach for anything

My parents would refuse,

I learned to live inside my box,

And keep myself amused.

 

One day my brother changed the rules,

A sailor, he became. 

Suddenly, and all at once,

I decided to quit the game.

 

The risks were mine alone to take,

Whether my parents deemed it fair,

For I realized, once I left the board,

I belonged in the Air.

 

My father refused to speak with me,

My mother cried with woe.

But to fly, fight, win, I heard the call;

I know where I must go.

 

With no support or guiding hand,

With my own life at stake,

With the terror curling inside of me

I choose to fight for my country’s sake.

 

So the pawn walks off the chess board,

No longer sacrificing for the King.

There’s a great big world out there,

And she can do anything.