A Letter Of War

When I was younger
I watched all the stars
As I wondered how far they might be

Momma would say
When lives pass away
They are stars looking down upon me

It came in the mail
From Belgium, Passchendaele
A letter hand-written with ink

He said he was blessed
But he left out the rest
Due to fears of what we may think

About seven months went
And our hopes dulled and spent
Until there was a knock on the door

The man bowed his head
Held a poppy, so red
And said dad won't be fighting no more

Momma sank to her knees
And she begged the Lord please
Then started to stutter and cry

I never knew
What a soldier could do
Til' the day that my old man had died

They laid him to rest
Praying "Lest We Forget"
For this man of both war and peace

It hurt me to smile
For the next little while
For this heart, my father did keep

Needless to say
By the end of each day
We are all people at war

As time goes on
One question will dawn;
Do we know what we're fighting for?