The Great Thing About Being Alone Poem by Richard Stamper

Homesickness,
Longing to return to my life,
To return home,
To the past.

The cruel reality of war,
There is no return home,
No return to my memories,
To innocence.

When you are alone,
You have nobody to get in your way,
Nobody to disappoint,
To let down.

What is lost,
Is lost forever,
Never to return.
War's wounds have bled me dry.

No words of welcome,
No words of comfort,
No words of forgiveness,
No words at all.

(Original: 21 December 1989 / Last Update: 13 March 2006 (Return From Iraq)