soldier's wife

she could feel the leaf brush against her face and she thought of

his breathe whispering against her ear;

telling her all of his secrets and his lies and the

truths that he had hidden for so long, but relenquished to her

ever-waiting ears with her head on his shoulder and his arms around her

and their bodies pressed together, fitting together like

two puzzle pieces that were a perfect match.

 

but now the only thing that her body was pressed against

was the cold tree, bark digging into her back through her light jacket

that let the wind cut right through to her bones making her shiver, making her

feel cold all the way through her body

like her bones had been frozen once again, brought back to the

brittle fragileness that they had been before him, before he

came along and began to thaw her out,

make her warm again.

 

her eyes were hard, the sparkle they had when she

was held in his arms next to the tree that was now the only thing

keeping her standing

was gone

and she refused to shed a tear, refused to look down at the letter

crumpled in her hand that told her that the man she loved, the only person

in the world who had been her perfect match,

was gone.

forever.

killed in battle, fighting bravely for his country and

her,

killed far away from home, far away from her arms

and now she was alone next to the tree that once was

their place;

where they had their first kiss, where he proposed, where she told him she was

pregnant with his child just two days before he was deployed, where they said

goodbye and he promised to come home soon to her and their child.

 

but now he wasn't ever coming home, he would never meet his

newborn son and she would never feel his arms around her again.

 

so she leaned against the tree that had their initials carved on a

low-hanging branch, encased in a heart that was supposed to mean

that their love would last

forever,

and she looked up at the cloudy sky and promised him

that she would tell their son about his brave daddy who was

an amazing man and loved them both more than anything, loved them

so much that he was willing to give his life to ensure their safety and freedom.

 

because she would never forget him and she would always love him, always

be waiting for the day when they would be reunited again

in heaven.