To challenge a frontier unknown;
There is praise for the man who sets out with a goal
To reach the North Pole on his own;
There is praise for the man who seeks riches and wealth
To the uttermost ends of the earth;
But, where is the praise for the family man
Who puts coals on his family’s hearth?
A hero is someone who goes out into the fight
To perform the ultimate deed;
A hero is someone who answers the call
Whenever his country is in need;
A hero is the champion who comes galloping forth
Whenever the downtrodden plead;
But, the real hero’s the one who keeps plodding along
Because he has children to feed.
The world always has time for the gallant, it seems
Whose thirst for adventure assuage;
They worship the star whose immaculate face
Appears daily on every front page;
They devour every word, every scrap of verbiage
From the present most popular sage;
But none ever considers the family man
Who works hard for his menial wage.
My father was never the shining white knight
Who responded to each such occasion;
Who was always out there in full battle gear
When an enemy threatened invasion;
But, the “home front” was where all his battles were fought
And, therein lay his patriotic persuasion;
He strove on till he died, teaching us to survive
To be part of the real strength and backbone of our nation.