Telegram Boy - Alan Marquis

Please don’t halt your bicycle,
do not dismount at my door.
Though I long for news from my lover,
I don’t want to hear of war.

Watching from behind my curtain,
I see you pass every day,
praying you will not stop,
dreading what a message might say.

No news in two months now,
no letter of love and kissing.
Nothing since that awful news,
`Regret your husband is Missing.`

My heart sinks to lowest ebb,
almost making me want to hate.
Your bicycle falls in the hedge,
you reach to open my gate.

Moments pass as the world unwinds,
waiting for unwelcome knocking,
my life in a whirlwind passing,
as future hopes are unlocking.

The longest walk of all my life,
to answer your dutiful call.
My footsteps echo in the hallway,
as my heart begins building a wall.

And a painted box behind the door,
those much loved wooden toys.
Already I struggle to imagine,
how on earth will I tell our boys ?

Alan Marquis