Coming Home

COMING HOME by JOHN M. ARRIBAS I Was Just a Teenage, Yet I’ll Not Forget That Day When We Were Notified That My Brother Was an MIA That Chilling Notice Was to Play Hard on Our Lives A Long Lasting Memory Stain That No One Survives Mom, Totally Devastated with No Where to Turn Dad Consoling Knows, There’s More Info We’ll Learn He May Be Wandering, Lost Unable to Communicate May Have Been Captured: Then He’ll Just Repatriate Mom Is Positive He’ll Rejoin Us, She Knows Someday Dad Addressing, Innate Fears We Need to Allay Mom Refuses to Consider, That He May Be Dead His Return Is the Only Thought in Her Head Difficult Times, a Morose Feeling Hung in the Air Mom Scolded, Dad Argued, Brought on by Despair Mom Feared for Sis and I, Becoming Overprotective Our Growing up Needs and Friends Often Rejected Restricted Our Activities with Each Passing Day Sis Rebelling Causing Turmoil Day after Day Surprisingly, it Wasn’t Long After, Sis Ran Away Year after Year the Unknowing Took its Toll Mom’s Sons Returning Home, Her Singular Goal Dad, Increasingly Withdrawn Seldom Spoke Childhood Reminiscing, Tears Would Provoke All Those Days, Then Years of Daily Despondence Mom Always Said I Am Awaiting My Sons Presence Mom Passed Away, Dad Joined Her Soon after In All Those Years Was the Absence of Laughter They’re Together Anew in the Same Plot of Ground The Answer to a “ Missing in Action” Yet to Be Found Left an Unfilled Desire to Be United with Their Son Mom Often Said, Someday I’ll Be Greeting My Son Many Years Have Gone by since That Unnerving Day Thoughts of My Brother Have Mostly Faded Away Yet Remembrances Still Vivid Even Now That I’m Gray When Contacted by a Laboratory Wanting My DNA Now after All These Years Mom and Dad Won’t Be Alone They’ve Identified My Brother and He’s Coming Home