The Letter
The dog’s bark alerts you to the mail
and you rush to the door heart in hand.
For you’re hoping you'll get a letter
nervously twirling your wedding band.
The envelope wafts a hint of musk
that transports you back to his parting.
And the fight you had... “Why reenlist?”
you had argued, acid tears smarting.
Your heart's pounding in trepidation
and fueling anxiety's climb.
Yet both the anger and flow of tears
have decreased with the passage of time.
Reading his letter a smile appears
joined by more as his words set them free.
For inked by a soldier in Iraq
a man in pain pens a heartfelt plea.
Sorrowful feelings flow from the page
weeping and beautifully expressed.
And yet in the depths of your being
you’re still hurting and feeling depressed.
You devour every sweet nuance penned
each succulent slice of candied hope.
And though time's something you can’t turn back
borrowing his strength you try to cope.
Yesterday a letter trimmed in black
brought news you dreaded getting for years.
For it said he'd been “killed in action"
its typed message smeared...In pools of tears.
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