Tonight

Tonight, I came home.
I loaded up my children,
I packed their bags,
And, I listened to my son say,
He was going home to, "Grandma's house."

I heard him say, "Poppy,"
And then remember that Poppy wasn't here.
His innocent five-year-old reasoning,
Broke my heart.

I came home tonight.
I was a passenger in a car,
That has driven a road
A thousand times.
But, tonight, it was different.

Tonight, I came home,
To an empty house.
I unpacked my own bags,
And I hugged my own sons;
Just the same as I have since August 6th.

I came home tonight,
To the same fields my father worked.
And, I went and grabbed the earth;
I felt it sift through my fingers.

Tonight, I came home,
To the same home that was filled
With one more soul
Just a year ago.

Today, I came home;
Different, yet the same.
Weaker, yet stronger,
One man less, but one
Daughter more.

Tonight, I came home.
I wonder what tomorrow brings.
I am sure it will be a beautiful experience,
Always remembering what could have been.

Today, I am home.