He stood and stared at the wall
But his feet would take him no further
He had tried to meet his friend
Several times before
But he could not make himself
Take those last few steps
To get close enough
To read his name
Tonight would be different
Friends he did not know
Were waiting to help him
Take those last few steps
With a gentle hand to the back
And a Welcome Home Brother
They helped to lead him to the wall
And the meeting with his friend
He told the story of that faithful day
That his friend simply told him
He would not return
At the end of the day
It was the last time
That he had physically seen him
But he saw his face every day
For the last thirty nine years
He could not get away from that face
Every time he closed his eyes
To go to sleep
It was there
Every time he heard a loud bang
It was there
Every time he thought of friendship
It was there
With the help of two friends
And a loving wife
He finally saw his friend's name
Etched in that wall
Now the healing can begin
In a list
A contest entry
- Military Contest by MoonsShadow.
875 points, ended May 17, 17 entries
Honorable winner
• next poem in this contest, remove from contest
Critical Review Requested
Comments
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This literally brought tears to my eyes. I want to reach out and hug the soldiermentioned here. This is such a sad sad poem. I liked the ending a lot. If this is personal, I wish you peace and healing. Thanks for sharing
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this tells a lot of the inner emotions that soldiers carry for a life time,39 years is a lifetime burden for anyone, but friends in armour is something one never forgets, thank you for entering this nice piece, good luck...Lin
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