The call for battle

I got this poem from my brother telling me about his call for getting deployed.

There came a call on my cell 

Middle of the night I wondered what it is 

Answering my mood became apathetic

I watched my family in the living room

How could I leave?

They couldn't do this to me

I hung up the phone

Only a week till I go

What will I tell my sister?

My father? 

My children?

Will I ever come back?

I go and tell them the news

Some cry 

Some smile

My sister just sits in the corner and remains stoic 

No emotion crosses her face

There's emptiness in her eyes

An emptiness you can't describe 

She smiled and hugged me 

She whispered take care of yourself 

A battle field is no where to be careless

With that she walked away shoulders slumped 

I always dreaded this call 

But this is a soldiers call 

The call for battle

Reviews

[barleygirl]

Your poem is a little hard to follow (middle of the night & whole family in living room?) . . . some of the descriptions don't gel for me (apathetic?) . . . but all in all, I get the picture you've painted with plenty of specifics. The best part is describing the sister's reaction -- very true to life & visual.

[outspoken1234]

That's what I was aiming for and apathetic means feeling no enthusiasm I really though people should see how a family member takes the news instead of just the soldiers point of view.

[Leafy Penman]

As a veteran, I empathize with you and your brother. I'm also married to a soldier, so deployments are really tough. I think you depicted the emotion quite well. However, I thought the poem was written from your point of view, from the author's note in the beginning, but while reading, it sounded as if it was from your brother's point of view. That's the only thing I would clarify. Otherwise, well done!

[A Humble Poet]

It s wonderful! I loved all of it! The sadness and all the emotion in it really touched the reader and makes them feel connected like it is them being called for battle. Keep up the amazing work!