He
Joined what he believed
Would help
Not hurt.
But by being one
He mistakenly caused pain to many.

Three children cling
Tears staining their cheeks
Knowing he’ll be gone,
For a while.
They didn't think they had said
Their final goodbyes.

One child barely speaking,
His mind won’t remember him
So it will be like he never existed,
But that’s not the child’s fault.

His wife,
Knew all the possibilities,
They had haunted her worst dreams
Then the nightmare
Became reality.

One missile,
Sent out to kill,
From the enemy.
To cause pain and tears,
Succeeded,
Not only once.

When the news came,
How was the family told?
Gently like the winds that blew that morning,
Or harshly like the commander was only sad
Over the loss of a soldier,
Not a man.

When she explains
To her children
How she was widowed
Will they follow in their father’s footsteps?
Or simply leave it be?
And let him live in their thoughts.

His family will never forget him
So tears will be shed
Like his wife
And children did
When he left
But I know,
They cried harder,
When he never came back.