"Home Again"
By
Bill Olson
© 1992 by Bill Olson
From my stories "Home Again" and Abandoned Journeys.
My children's kisses touched my face,
My wife held me in her embrace;
The morning sun would soon arrive,
They were relieved I was alive
And home again once more.
For months I had not seen my kin,
Fighting a war in ships of tin,
Defending honor as a rule;
How could I be that big a fool
I'll never understand.
When I was young I heard the call
To "be good soldiers one and all."
And hymns we'd sing with tired throats
Of leaving skies and crossing motes
Of space, which "is our own!"
But war in space is truly hell:
Not many people live to tell
The screams of horror, pain and fear;
The things they teach us to hold dear
Are causing us to die.
I then awoke from wisdom's plea
And found that I could clearly see:
My family was nowhere around,
And I could hear the tiny sound
Of air leaking away.
I floated in the cold of space,
Having survived my battle place.
And Lord, I am obliged to Thee,
Before I die that I could be
At home again once more.