I have written a poem, a reflection of my life so far. I hope you all like it.

Forty years upon this Earth,
In which now I reflect.
From a middle child of a broken home,
To a sailor whose country I swore to protect.

Even though my life had felt full,
With adventure, challenge and joy,
I had not grown to what I am now,
I was still only a boy.

For when I saw the woman I truly love,
Walking down the aisle,
When I held my little son in my hands,
Or first saw my daughter’s beautiful smile.

As the clock turned forty.
And my body began to ache,
I realised then, from boy to man,
That now more than ever, I had so much at stake.

For when you become a father, a husband,
I now know it’s true.
You make a solemn vow to yourself, to them,
That you will always come through.

~SL Rutland