Hero's Welcome
It’s 2 a.m. and she is shivering
Not from the cold but from the space
Half a world away he’s shivering
Not from the cold but from the nerves
She smells an old shirt and drifts off to dream
Savannah sunrise feels so far away
He reaches to feel the cold of his bayonet
Wishing it was the warmth of her skin
She tosses, turns, and fights off demons
That invade like a thief in the night
He feels a lump form in his throat
And swallows twenty-six years worth of reverie
She feels her lungs search for air
And hears his voice search for her
He feels the radiance of a morning sun
And wipes the sweat from a furrowed brow
She gives up hope on sleep this night
And turns on the TV to distract her mind
Suddenly, instinct courses through him
And his body leaps for the brother to his right
She glides her ring up and down her finger
Smiling as she remembers the way he asked
He feels the bullet pierce his flesh
And he knows he made the right choice
She says “yes” and feels their lips collide
And peace chases all the demons away
(2015)
