War Bride

It only feels like yesterday,
I remember it so well;
The day they marched my only love
Past the fiery pits of Hell.

The day he got the letter
Was the last day of my life,
For he was to leave the very day
I would have become his wife.

We were only children,
(Barely seventeen years old)
When he received his call to fight
With the boldest of the bold.

The fateful day he was to leave
I held him close and said,
“You know I’ll never love again
If you should turn up dead.”

Before he boarded the massive ship
He said, “Love, one more thing…”
And from his pocket he produced
A golden wedding ring.

He slipped it on my finger
And said, “It’s for after we’ve stopped the Hun.”
With a quick peck on my forehead
He left with case and gun.

I prayed to God most every day
To bring him safely back…
I think I died when that soldier brought
The folded Union Jack.

This happened so very long ago,
But, my love, I still wear that band.
I don’t think it has ever left
My wrinkled, aching hand.

I know you must have suffered, love,
But I have suffered more.
For you just died, but I lived a long life
With a true love lost to war.