Friday 29 July 2011

The Letter

It
Sits behind the old clock,
An elegant timepiece,
A retirement gift
That declares its existence
As it chimes on the hour,
Breaking the silence, the quiet denial.

It,
The letter,
Has sat there for decades,
Yellowed with age
From time and tobacco,
Its envelope hiding – no,
Refusing its contents.

The words
No longer read
Are fading
As are memories,
Memories of him,
Their first born, their angel,
Who proudly,
For King and for Country
Donned the colours of war.

He will return one day,
Of that they are certain.
He will walk through the front door,
Older and wiser,
Matured by the terror,
The conflict of battle;
He will battle no more.

They will embrace him,
Their first born,
Tears streaming down faces,
Hearts full of elation
And they will glance at the letter,
The Missing In Action,
In quiet jubilation
And breaking the silence
Will declare
“We knew you’d come home!”

Anna :o]

With thanks to the good folk at Theme Thursday  for the inspiration

10 comments:

Manzanita said...

Anna,
This is so sad but a good job.

Manzanita@Wannabuyaduck

Brian Miller said...

oh this is a stirring one...an MIA letter...them still believing...i hope it is not in vain...

Anonymous said...

The angst of the unknown for MIA ... well done!

Nanka said...

Stirring emotions and leaves you with a sinking feeling!! Great story in the poem which tugs at your heart!!

Raivenne said...

"“We knew you’d come home!”"

Damn this strikes so close to home. I know parents and a spouse, where this is there life. The day-to-day hope, prayer and angst. Beautifully penned.

hyperCRYPTICal said...

Thank you for your kind comments folks.

Raivenne ~ I cannot imagine the horror of recieving a MIA letter. There is no closure of KIA - always hope. The kindest of regards.

Anna :o]

Jae Rose said...

Such atmosphere created in this piece..could almost hear the second hand chugging around with each thought..thank you for your visit and for following..Jae

J Cosmo Newbery said...

So true, so difficult.

sewa mobil said...

Nice article, thanks for the information.

hyperCRYPTICal said...

Thanks for your lovely comments.

Anna :o]