Miss You

As some of you might know, I have one brother who is a Marine. Another is heading to Marine Boot Camp in three days. So I wrote this poem.

Miss You

They used to be mere movies;

books that I would read.

Pictures to remind us

the height of freedom’s cost.

A song, a phrase,

news from a far off place

So distant from the life I lived.

They used to be so far away…

It drew closer when my first brother left.

Nineteen. Hot blood in his veins.

Ready to go; ready to fight

The house was quieter when he left;

but he’d been busy before.

I’d not seen him much.

We saw him three months later;

a stiffness to his stride,

polished gold buttons on a blue coat.

A Marine.

Yet now…

Now another brother is leaving.

Quieter. More reserved.

Steady and focused.

More than a brother;

a comrade; a friend.

Less than a week and he’ll be gone.

Three months before we speak again.

Then training;

stationing.

He’s not coming back,

not like before.

 

I care more now.

The pictures and words

aren’t part of some other realm.

I’m proud of what you’ll become,

brother mine.

But I’ll miss you.

 

I’ll miss the late night Culver’s talks

The quiet jokes

The random things we show each other.

Even your arguing

at the smallest things.

 

Yet I’d not keep you here,

however much I might wish it.

So stand tall;

stay strong.

Farewell and Godspeed.

I’ll be here;

waiting,

Until we met again.

My brother

a Marine.

Bookmark the permalink.

10 Comments

  1. This is… I don’t have words to describe it. It is so real… My older brother is an Army pilot now, and yeah, things change… Things changed when he did basic training, when he deployed, when he came back to the US… This poem really hit me. Thanks for sharing. ♥

  2. Wow, this is a really touching poem. My thanks to your brothers for serving.

  3. Thank You for sharing these thoughts. God Bless your brothers and thank you for their service. My uncle and grandfather were Marines. My uncle was a career Marine.
    Marilyn

  4. Awesome poem!

  5. This is really, really touching. Well done!

    Also, I officially tagged you: https://hannahgaudetteauthor.wordpress.com/2018/07/07/coverlove-tag-awesomeness/

    🙂

  6. I have two close friends in Marine boot camp right now, so I can relate very well. beautiful poem.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

I accept the Privacy Policy

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.