Duty Calls
by Ale’ta Turner
She has hope drilled into her heart,
rich oil deposited into the depths of her soul.
He has half a mustard seed of faith—
his life lies in the hands of many men.
Both are weighed down by fatigue.
He kisses her lipstick traces on a dirty envelope,
runs his fingers across the perfume scented pages
of her love note. It’s been too long, so long
that this letter is from a year ago.
He stares off into what used to be space,
where the two spent seconds, minutes and hours
together. A humming buzz in his ear,
and howl of the winds brings him back
to so-called reality. He can’t sleep
though he longs to dream of her,
be with her again but duty calls.
Duty called three years ago
and been calling ever since.
She long disconnected her phone
leaving him deserted, alone to reminisce.
Artist: Ale’ta Turner
Genre: Poetry
Bio: Communications Pro + Event Coordinator by day in the nonprofit sector. By night, I’m an aspiring fictional author, blogger and volunteer.
Piece: Duty Calls
Piece Description: This is a poem about a soldier’s sacrifice to serve his country and be without the woman he loves.