A Soldier’s Farewell

They told me not to go, to stay, To turn my heart some other way. But duty’s pull, like waves to shore, Drew me to fight in distant war. I left in silence, left behind The tear-streaked faces, hands entwined. They feared I’d be a name on stone, A shadow lost, forever gone. Each letter home, I tried to say That honor held me, come what may. But words can’t mend a mother’s ache, Or soothe the hearts that start to break. Through smoky fields, I feel their gaze, Their haunting doubts, a heavy haze. They loved me more than pride or land, But I was bound by war’s demand. Now blood-stained hands and battles won Mean less without their light, their sun. I fought for country, truth, and right, But left my home lost in the fight. When silence falls, I hope they’ll see— This sacrifice was part of me. Though war may claim my final breath, My love for them lives past my death.