Enlistment Age

He rattled and tapped away at the age-old typewriter,
Getting frustrated as the keys jammed over and over again.
He had to send in the army application – it would be such an adventure to go to war!
Click, clack, rattle, tap... ping,
His dark, ragged hair fell into his face, covering his bright blue eyes.
The incandescent bulb in the corner of the room flickered and buzzed.
His fingers stuttered and punched at the weathered-down keys,
Flowing as smoothly as a dried-up river.
He grimaced and yawned as the clock ticked into AM.
Click, clack, rattle, tap... ping,
His leg tapped a steady rhythm on the leg of his chair,
The musty scent of the old basement singed its way up his nostrils,
Riiiiiiiip, he pulled out an inked page, and let it flutter down to the ground gently,
His head hung and his heartbeat slowed; the letter would have to wait.