Orders and Out of Touch

Environments impact you, like it or not,

"Be yourself," we were always taught.

But a belonging is something that we all want,

So we change like different fonts.

Friends from the base all move away,

"I’ll call you next week, let's keep in touch" they say.

But slowly but surely, with passing time,

The bond that we shared starts to fall behind.

Then Snapchat pops up on my screen,

A memory of the places where I used to be.

I'm liking photos of their brand new friends,

Wondering if that's where my history ends.

I watch from a distance as their habits go wrong,

They're running with crowds where they don't quite belong.

Of course people change as they mature and they grow,

But moving across oceans is a pain few will know.

The loud, cheerful girl turned so quiet and shy,

A friend left behind under some overseas sky.

In a couple of years, can I say that I know

The people I laughed with a few posts ago?

The friend who despised country music and twang,

Now wears boots and sings every anthem sang.

She changed her appearance, her accent, her style,

While I stare at our old photos for a while.

That’s not to say that I’ve stayed the same,

Deployments and moves change the rules of the game.

Military teens can swap out their versions,

Surviving the moves and the constant excursions.

I try to stay rooted, to be uniquely me,

But it isn't as simple as it should be.

It’s easier to change, to modify, and to fit,

And find a lunch table where I’m allowed to sit.

I only feel certain of who I am at home,

With my family around me, or completely alone.

But this year, I’ve made up my mind

To be the one person I can always find.

I think military kids should always stand,

While carrying our country to foreign lands.

As you see that the orders go through,

Try to tell the home that’s inside to stay true.