War
Donnie (Tobie) Denome
We all cheer when it's over.
All except for
the parents who were baking a 'welcome home' cake when they heard,
the brothers and sisters who were out buying beer for the party when they heard,
the spouses who were tidying up the house when they heard,
the children who were making brightly colored drawings in school when they heard,
the admirers who had finally got the courage to make that phone call when they heard,
the lovers who were going to send another angry letter about marriage equality when they heard,
the best friends who were planning the fishing trip of a lifetime when they heard,
the bosses who were waiting for the final draft of the article when they heard,
the listeners who just wanted to hear their favorite radio program when they heard,
the arch-enemies who couldn't bring themselves to cheer when they heard,
the fiancés who were polishing their ring when they heard,
the yoga partners who were doing a sunrise salutation when they heard,
the high-school teachers who were grading papers when they heard,
the soccer coaches who playing goalie for their team when they heard,
the roommates who were finally used to making toast for only one when they heard,
the old colleagues who were reminiscing with their yearbooks when they heard,
the men and women who had to repeat the phrase,
“I'm sorry. They were killed in action.”
over and over again.
who all cry in their little corners and know that it'll never be all right again.
Donnie (Tobie) Denome
We all cheer when it's over.
All except for
the parents who were baking a 'welcome home' cake when they heard,
the brothers and sisters who were out buying beer for the party when they heard,
the spouses who were tidying up the house when they heard,
the children who were making brightly colored drawings in school when they heard,
the admirers who had finally got the courage to make that phone call when they heard,
the lovers who were going to send another angry letter about marriage equality when they heard,
the best friends who were planning the fishing trip of a lifetime when they heard,
the bosses who were waiting for the final draft of the article when they heard,
the listeners who just wanted to hear their favorite radio program when they heard,
the arch-enemies who couldn't bring themselves to cheer when they heard,
the fiancés who were polishing their ring when they heard,
the yoga partners who were doing a sunrise salutation when they heard,
the high-school teachers who were grading papers when they heard,
the soccer coaches who playing goalie for their team when they heard,
the roommates who were finally used to making toast for only one when they heard,
the old colleagues who were reminiscing with their yearbooks when they heard,
the men and women who had to repeat the phrase,
“I'm sorry. They were killed in action.”
over and over again.
who all cry in their little corners and know that it'll never be all right again.