From the heart of a military child
~
A scared five year old sniffles in the dark
as her father kisses her goodbye.
She watches him walk away
from the car
into the crisp cool night
and then he’s gone.
My father is gone in the war.
My father is gone, fighting for me.
She skips and jumps at recess
but a shadow enters her mind.
Her father might be hurt or dying
even as she sits in class.
My father might die in the war.
My father might die for me.
She lies in bed, shivering;
he used to hug her every night.
But no hug can come
from Afghanistan.
My father misses me terribly.
My father’s heart aches, thinking of me.
Her mother picks her up from school early
and a flutter rises in her heart.
When he climbs down from the cockpit
She clutches him and hugs him fiercely.
My father came back home again.
My father came home, his heart beating for me.
~
