Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, HIS LAST LETTER, by ESTHER WEAKLEY


Poetry Explorer

Classic and Contemporary Poetry

HIS LAST LETTER, by                    
First Line: He wrote it, sitting with his back against
Last Line: Then blithely started into no man's land.
Subject(s): Home


He wrote it, sitting with his back against
A blasted tree -- its leaves were crushed into
The sodden earth. He did not write of war
But of the things at home he'd known ... before.

He said he knew that spring had come, back home;
He mentioned flying skates on sun-flecked walks
And small boys' kites, and tulips in a row;
Plum blossoms floating down, like scented snow;

The worn place in the rug before the fire,
Where, in the evenings, his old dog would lie;
He asked if there were cookies in the jar
And if I still wished on the night's first star.

He tried so gallantly to hide his fear;
He joked, and said this might be his "swan song."
It was as though he turned and waved his hand,
Then blithely started into No Man's Land.





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