The Silver Framed Photo. Poem by Bryan Sefton

THey needn't have made the clamorous sound
Or blasted the lights to confusion
The Windows were lit but the light had gone out
And provided the ideal solution
They stood in the hall, the ones who had called
Convinced that they'd given their best
Saying how she had suffered and now it was done
And how peaceful she looked in her rest
There were four of them, neighbours, all speaking low
And inbetween words looking on
At the memorabilia of a bygone life
And a world even more bygone
The furniture wasn't what they would call new
Whose houses contained 'newer' things
And if told of the writing desk would probably say
'Sheraton? Didn't she sing? '
The silver framed photo that stood in half light
Shows a devine creature linking her beau
Her face is a halo of happiness bright
The Officer smiles down on her glow
It caught at the heart if you looked for a while
At this couple so perfect a pair
When told that in three weeks the man would lie dead
And the young girl alone to despair
Their life in the picture stretched golden and pure
And eternity was their belief
Who could have told them, given the chore
That their time span together was brief
Who could have broken the heart of this girl
So delectably gloriously happy
Or the tall handsome chap in his dress uniform
So crisp and so clean and so snappy
Their eyes they were locked in each other's gaze
The photographer didn't exist
Their fingers locked tight as if to never let go
But the war office, sadly, insist
So true to the code he went and he fought
And he gave up his life for his country
But she never quiet gave up the thought
That somewhere, somehow, maybe?
Happy endings are rare with a country at war
Though some never give up at all
The thought that perhaps in some far foreign land
There's a mind that cannot recall

So the years drifted past and the tide that is life
Took the pain slowly, slowly away
And the silver framed photo stood ever young
And the couple enshrined ever gay
Now the neighbours stand quiet as the medics confirm
That the long life is finally through
The waiting is over, the living is done
(To those with a limited view)
The four caring neighbours move slowly aside
As the medics come by with their load
And they watch as they carry their burden away
From their place at the side of the road
Oh, But had they the eyes! Had they the sight!
Could they only have been made aware
Of the happy enactment of the silver frame scene
That was there at the top of the stair
The happiness shines! The love is alive!
Their hands are again holding tightly
The Officer softly smiles down on her glow
Eternity now a reality