Soldier’s Child - Picture Book
Soldier’s Child
“Mommy, where’s Daddy?” I asked, curled up in her lap.
My Mom pulled me closer and spoke as we sat,
“He’s just at work sweetie,” as she would often say. “It’s not really much different than any other working-type day.”
“But where?” I asked, this time wanting to know more.
She replied, “He’s in a land far away, bravely fighting the war.”
I slid from her lap with a scowl on my face, “But why,” I asked angrily, “why such a faraway place?”
Mommy’s gentle arms scooped me up as I hid my face and cried,
She soothingly rubbed my back, gave me a kiss and replied,
“People needed his help, so he answered their call,
Keeping bad people at bay, while helping others stand strong.”
I didn’t feel any better though as out the window I stared.
I really missed my Daddy -- my Daddy wasn’t here.
Daddy couldn’t kiss my booboos or chase me through the park.
No silly bed-time kisses to keep the monsters out of the dark.
He couldn’t toss me high into the air, as I shrieked out with delight.
He wasn’t here to catch the fireflies when we stayed up late at night.
But I knew Daddy missed me too, as he’d often call to say,
And to sternly remind me that for Mommy I’d best behave!
One day he sent us a letter, and told us about the usual.
About his long, tiring days, and how his feelings were mutual.
But towards the end, a surprise, something exciting had taken place
In a tiny village he often visited several miles from his military base!
He wrote about a small girl he’d met, who was not much older than me,
She had dark hair and dark eyes, and she had needed his help indeed.
He’d found her crying in the marketplace -- giant tears streaming from her eyes.
She couldn’t find her Daddy, as much as she had tried and tried.
Mean men had come through their town, carrying off people left and right;
They tried to take her too, but her Daddy chased them into the night.
My Daddy cried as well as he wiped her tears away
And scooped her into his arms -- this was no ordinary day!
He gently rocked her in his arms as he hummed to her my favorite tunes.
He held her close, he held her tight, and he told her that her daddy would be back soon.
He gave her a kiss, and a pat on her head
And told her a story, from one of my books that he’d read.
Her crying soon stopped, and she began to smile.
She was so happy that my Daddy had just stayed for a while.
My Mommy finished the letter as tears streamed down my cheeks.
I had begun to realize, how selfish I’d been for weeks.
It’s ok to miss Daddy, but now I really understand,
That maybe others need my Daddy too --
Kids who also miss their Dads.