Poem Pages

HOME

Those Left Waiting

Those Left Waiting

In a caravan in the red dust and gums of the outback,
In a sleepy town by the seaside in a little shack,
In towns and cities, you who were left, waited,
Hoping against hope, your wait was not ill-fated.
The sisters and brothers, the mothers and fathers too,
The wives and sweethearts, all seeing it through.
Closely watching each day, the news on TV,
Never knowing just what they might see.
Hoping to catch just a glimpse of him,
Is it him, it can't be, he looks so grim.
Each night a mother kneels down to pray,
For her beloved son so far away.
She lost his father at war before he was born,
If she lost him now her heart would be torn.
Dear God won't you please hear my plea,
Bring him back home again safely to me.
Sadly for many came that knock on the door,
And they knew then that they'd see him no more.
Slowly but finally that long year passed,
And he is now back home with you at last.
You endure the agony, heartache and pain,
Of never knowing if you would see him again.
But you waited faithfully, steadfast and true,
So here is my tribute just for you.

For my family who cared so much.

ŠLee O'Neill 20 January 1999