When He Didn'T Return

You wake up put your uniform on and eat the breakfast I have made for you You kiss the kids good-bye and I jet for the door to say I love you too The day has just begun and there is so much I need to do How to fit everything into one single day I haven’t got a clue Dosing in and out of sleep the ringing is faint within my ear I wasn’t ready for what it was I was just about to hear What fire? The roof did what? Is he okay? Suddenly that day turned into what I would remember to be the darkest day My heart pounds faster making it harder to breathe over and over I pray I call my mother to watch the kids and I can barely get out what I have to say How could this normal day turn into the worst I’d ever see? I clinch my eyes tightly together, how could this happen to me? Driving as fast as I can the tears filling up my eyes The radio is off and all that fills the air are my loud worried sighs The hallways seem so dull, long and a very pale white My eyes are burning from tears and the flickering florescent light A group of men in uniforms fill the hallway I have ended in I try hard to fight this sick feeling I know I’m not going to win The loud voices, the explanations, the tears from everyone around My eyes move from person to person but I can’t hear a single sound I walk into room 214 and see you lying in front of me The only things I can focus on are all the burns I see Please don’t leave me all alone I need you so much now I should have been with you every minute everyday would allow I will never forget this day for as long as I shall live, for now I am alone I pick up your jacket and run my fingers over the patches that I have sewn Your helmet has been given to me and I’ll keep it with me forever You told me once don’t forget and I whisper in your ear, “Forget you? Never” Time has passed so quickly it’ll be three years this May I wish you could see our son who’s looking more like you everyday When I ask him what his dream is he says to fight fires like his dad It's been hard getting through each day but I know you’d tell me not to be sad I wanted the chance to kiss you more and hug you as long as I could Sometimes this world is so hard there is so much I wish I understood Alone I lay in bed and the only sounds I hear are the whisperings of the fan Selfishly I want you back but God must have needed a fine fire fightin’ man