“THE Australian soldier returned, he made it home to me:
Beyond the joy, the twinkling in his eyes I could not see;
His eyes were full of darkness, twinkling there was no more;
The man I loved had not returned, it was only the soldier that I saw;
So confident and so brave, but something had gone wrong;
He left himself behind in that battlefield all alone;
Where is the man that I adore, for it is he I need;
Silent prayers have gone unanswered, please return to me;
I hold my breath and make a wish, for I know that he is trying;
Trying to leave his battlefield, a battlefield for the dying;
Waiting is what I will do, for eternity if need be,
Waiting for my love to return, return once more to me.”
KRYSTI NEALE, Kapooka, New South Wales, Australia
(born and raised in Semaphore, South Australia)
~~~~~~~~~
Published in: “The (Adelaide) Advertiser“, Remembrance Day, 11 Nov 2011
Copyright © 2012 Catherine Crout-Habel Seeking Susan ~ Meeting Marie ~ Finding Family
Wow …
Powerful words, eh? ~~~
Thanks for sharing this poem Catherine. War really takes its toll on the soldiers and their families when/if they return.
Oh, it sure does Pauline. As a child there was a man living down the street whom I thought rather “strange” – then mum explained “shell shock” 😦
Can hardly imagine what it must be like for the families and loved ones and my heart goes out to them all.
Great words, very stirring
Indeed Louise…sure tugs at my heartstrings. I imagine it’s written by the wife of an soldier whose been to war. Her address is “Kapooka” which is an Australian Military Base, so guess she’s living in “married quarters” on the base. Cheers
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