In the Wake of War: A Letter’s Journey

Words Across the Miles in 1943

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For this week’s theme, Letters, I thought I would share a poem from letters my mother wrote to my father in 1943 during World War II. They were married March 13, 1943. She fondly referred to the child they would have one day in her letters as “Junior.”

In the midst of war, when distance and time stretched beyond measure, my mother’s heart held onto the quiet strength of waiting. “In the Wake of War: A Letter’s Journey” captures her voice in the months following my father’s deployment in World War II, when she was left to navigate the trials of separation, uncertainty, and longing. Through her letters, I catch a glimpse of the love, faith, and hope that anchored her during those long years.

This poem is a reflection of her perseverance, a reminder of the quiet strength it takes to endure, to trust, and to hold on to the promises of love even when the world is at war. Her words reveal the heart of "The Greatest Generation,” those who, in the face of uncertainty, kept hope alive with each passing day.

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The vows still softly ring,

One week, then duty's sting.

March's cold wind blew you far,

April's gray, a lonely star.

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My pen becomes my only friend,

Each word a journey I intend.

Your name I trace with careful hand,

War separates many across this land.

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Do you feel this hollow deep?

Where laughter used to leap.

The empty chair, a silent sign,

My missing heart in letters I confide.

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"Junior's" hope in ink I keep,

While weary war makes spirits weep.

Your letters, a brief, sweet grace,

Brings a warm smile to my face.

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California's sun so bright,

As dreams fill up the sleepless nights.

The train tracks whisper low,

But duty bids you to go.

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Thin pages bear my soul,

Beyond my heart’s control.

Three months in words take flight,

Until the day we reunite.

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