Across the Ocean and other poems

An Hour of Normalcy

Today was the day

I had waited for a year

I looked out the window

and the sky thank God was clear

My family was traveling to me

They would be here very soon

I was waiting impatiently

for the clock to strike high noon

They came to my room and got me

and all the others here as well

I ran down to the picnic area so quickly

that a few times I almost fell

My eyes scanned the picnic tables

looking for a loving face

There were maybe fifty tables

and each family had their place

As my eyes fell on table seven

I caught my mother's eye

Tears began streaming down her face

she'd promised she would not cry

I wrapped my arms around her

and she told me I am much too thin

I say the food is inedible here

She says that is such a sin

I hug my brother next

then my nephew and finally my son

I've already missed so much of his life

and my time here has just begun

I force myself not to sob

as not to upset my little boy

I hold him in my arms for as long as they allow

soaking in the joy.

My mother has filled a cooler

with all my favorite stuff

I tell her she didn't have to bring so much

she tells me it's not enough

I fill my plate with pulled pork and chicken

fruit salad and bacon strips

I guzzle homemade iced tea

 unable to just take sips

We have a feast fit for a king

my momma, my brother, the kids and I

I ask about their lives

but our hour speeds right by

The men in uniform yell "Say your goodbyes"

and we all stand from the table

I hug and kiss my family

for as long as I am able

As I wave to them through the fence

others who live here wave to families as well

It was nice to have an hour of normalcy

even if it will be followed by hours of hell

Walking back to the building I realize;

that for this one hour

no one in the picnic grounds even noticed;

the razor wire

or the fences

or the guard towers

It was just a family picnic

As they close the doors behind me

I wipe away a tear

That one hour of normalcy

was the best hour since I've been here