I Will Wait For You

In sickness and in health, in good times and in bad, and in joy as well as in sorrow, I will wait for you.

The letter came that fateful day,

To tear you and I apart.
The weeks before you were forced on your way,
Were a blur of a blackened art.

For months I agonised for your return to date,
In sorrow deep enough for fiction.
Until on the dreaded list I read of your fate:
"Missing In Action"

In years that passed, I waited alone,
While no news came of the part of myself.
Hordes of soldiers were flocking back home,
But your file just gathered dust on the shelf.

I knew not if you were dead or alive,
I knew not what to do.
I had closed my heart, praying you would survive,
To love again, seemed taboo.

Time flew by and my hope began to dwindle,
Though I still clutched at your small chance.
But soon all was left was a flickering candle,
Quivering in its uncertain dance.

What was I to think, I was torn,
Should I love again or retain my faith?
Surrender hope or stay lovelorn,
Or choose another to take your place?

My anguish one morn was put to an end, 
When finally, I learned,
That I had to let go, could not pretend,
For I was awaiting one who would never return.

The letter came that fateful day,
To tear you and I apart.
But 'Nam was not where the fighting truly lay,
The real war was within my heart.

Reviews

[Alessander]

This has the feeling of a ballad, and the repitition of the first stanza (more or less) I think puts this in that genre. It tells a story cleanly, without much obfuscation or elaborate rhetoric or dense diction. The rhymes were solid, I wasn't even bothered by "fiction"/"action" like I normally would be lol

I once read that "A tragedy is never based on a character having to choose between a virtue and a vice, but rather between two competing virtues, like love of family, or love of country" and I found the stanza debating between "faith" and "love", or even "reason" and "emotion" the most interesting part of this piece. The theme "all is fair in love and war" also popped to mind...anyhow, nice write.

The only suggestion I can offer is that you fit this into a proper ballad format, but that's up to you, naturally.

[Jesse Jacques]

i liked it and the fact that it was a lover lost in war was actually even better, believe it or not. Awesome.

[Frankie Nguyen]

this really touched me
the love of my life wants to go military
i don't want him to go
but if he wants i will support him (:

[Linear]

I felt a lot of strain in this poem, but that last line reached my heart, well done 6 points

[Buddhistboy73]

Deep, emotional piece of writing here. Loved how you envelop the reader in the detail of the story, and leave the mystery right until the final line.....and the rhyming scheme here is well thought out,,,,
this is the first piece of yours I have read, and enjoyed....thanks for sharing,,,:)

[Elwina]

Amazing write. It paints so well of a longing love when a fragile hope remains that reunification is possible. The ending is perfect because it widens the range and impact of the poem, who no longer only about war, separation, but also about choices and letting go in life.
Great job !!

[VelvetRosetta]

Indeed a sad tale, any loss is hard, but when your heart can't let go, and you hold onto something that you know just never will be, it is so much hardrer...it is literally a war within your own heart.
Sad but well done!

[Calypso]

This was sad. Its terrible that you put so much into hoping they'll come home only for them to brake up with you.

[Marie Harrison]

Oh this writing was heart breaking. You grabbed my heart strings immediately and continued to tug and twist at them throughout this riveting piece. I kept thinking he was coming to your door. Well done!

[Drako]

how sad. it tugs at the heartstrings. the idea that one person could wait this long for their love is touching and heartbreaking all at the same time