For Those Who Wait… and Weep

It is not just the soldier who goes to war

To boldly face the lost and lonely nights,

Wondering what the next event might stir

In a world where reality forestalls his precious light.

 

Father, mother, sister, brother, precious child

Cherished lover all in one, all in tow

He muddles through the fallow furrowed trenches

Of his mind enrobed in murky hues of faded indigo.

 

And he and she and they who are forced to wait

In silent proxy know his peerless pain,

Cry his tears, feel the deepest fears that fills his night,

That end is near and he will never see his home again.

 

A mother weeps, a father keeps a stoic front

That fools no one – fools no one – no, not one.

Tear-stained letters from a patient lover far away

Whose tender heart’s emotions are undone.

 

They will be with him every step of his travail

As duty compels and he silently walks his keep.

And faith never falters, and hope knows no holiday

For those who wait…

Those who wait… and weep.