All alone
Thousand tear soaked pillow casing
One sided perfectly made up bed
Alarm clock still set for 4:30 am
Clothes set out for church on Sunday
Phone in hand waiting for a call
To hear the words
"Honey I'm just leaving work can you start dinner?"
But she will never hear those words
"Honey I'm home"
As keys drop onto marble counter tops
Boots tracking mud
From the puddle outside
Due to the harsh storm
She lost her love
He was a veteran
Two purple hearts
A medal of honor
Three times he went to war
For a country that gave him nothing
He still had to work
Medical bills from his daughter
Diagnosed with cancer
Given three years to live
How much suffering does she have to endure
Before she drowns in her tears
And chokes on her sorrow weeps
Of constant coffin nailed grief
He lost his life
In the most profound way
He was robbing a bank
He couldn't get the cash
The money needed for his daughter's treatment
Yet when bullets created craters
Deep into his chest
And "Fire!" stopped echoing
This widow knew
She lost everything in her life
The bottles of whiskey
The overdosing medicine
The knife to wrist
The gun to her head
Still she couldn't find enough strength
To take another swig
To take another pill
To push a little harder
To squeeze the trigger
Emotionally drained
Taking its toll physically
Aged all to much
For her 29 year old frame
Dressed in black
Waiting for it to be her turn
For the coroner to nail the coffin shut
For the preacher to say
"We lay her down to rest after enduring such traumatic events."
A widow's tale is all but familiar
Yet the tragic events unfold
All too quickly
They seem all too alien