A son, the firstborn
In my arms laid
His daddy's profile
I wouldn't trade.
The years come and go
As he grows to a teen.
One day he announces, "I want to be a Marine."
Boot camp is waiting,
We drive to the bus,
A hug, some tears,
Not too much fuss.
The empty place at the table,
His room quiet and still.
Adjustments are made
But the void is unfilled.
The weeks hasten on
As fast as they can.
He's home on leave
Before Vietnam.
Too soon his plane
Is far over the sea
To a faraway land
A year there to be.
Life somehow goes on
But the fear is inside.
War scenes on TV
Makes it real and alive.
You try not to listen
To all that they say.
Yonder on the battlefield,
His nineteenth birthday.
Letters always arriving
They make our day
Then a whisper at night,
Better wake up and pray.
Dirt smeared envelopes
In the corner marked Free
How far they have come
To reach family.
A package comes in the mail
Wonder what it is all about,
Quickly it's opened and oops!
A Purple Heart falls out.
Meal time is lacking
Though the food looks so fine.
Could he be hungry?
I wish he had mine.
Each day in his room
I pray for my son.
I receive strength from scripture,
Like Psalm Ninety-One.
I stare out the window
As if I could see
Across the wide ocean
To where he must be.
The telephone is busy.
I talk to family and friends
I urge them to pray
Until this war ends.
A glimpse of a young man
Who could have been him.
My mind plays tricks
Again and again.
When he played football,
He battled for the score
In the game he is in now
The stakes are much more.
We trust he will be home
Just don't know the date.
How true — They too serve
Who only stand and wait.
The year drags along
But finally it ends
He is on his way home
To see loved ones and friends.
We meet his plane
It doesn't seem real.
It's a moment of magic
How excited we feel.
War is no picnic
The homefront hurts too.
Mom, Dad and siblings
Know God brought him through.
by Janell Presgrove
... who is a septuagenarian grandmother and widow recently
inspired to compose, being unpracticed since high school; this is
her first published poem.
