Missing

On a rocky headland Above the pounding sea, Beside the road In a gray abode A loving mother clings to hope While she waits and wonders endlessly. Reverently she gazes Upon the shady lawn Where yesterday He used to play With the ragamuffin, shaggy dog And the spotted, orphaned, white tailed fawn. Fondly she remembers A sun kissed, freckled face, The azure skies Of two blue eyes And the sweet perfume of earth and sea, With each hurried, small brown arms embrace. All the day, she watches The empty, sandy trail. How many years, She little cares, Since the blazing cannons ceased to roar And the last great ships of war set sail. Summer fades to autumn And winter warms to spring. Years come and go; Life's shadows grow While the timeless sea erodes the shore, And the days fly by on silent wings.