Waking up one morning
Rising from my bed
A strange and niggling kind of thought
Just popped into my head

It wasn’t there yesterday
Or when I went to bed last night
But I have this strangest feeling
That something isn’t right

I look around my sleepy home
At my daughters in their beds
But I cannot find an answer
To the thoughts inside my head

I have an aching in my stomach
I can’t face anything to eat
Now I’m mustering all my strength
To stay on my two feet

Then there before me at my door
I spy two silhouettes
My feet are frozen on the spot
I cannot answer yet

I shout up to my husband
So he can get the door
I have a sickening feeling
I know what the call is for

Then a knock upon the door
The one we knew we’d dread
Two soldiers there in uniform
We knew then our son was dead

My head has started spinning
In shock I cannot speak
Legs now turn to jelly
My knees they feel so weak

The soldiers politely step inside
For they have to tell us all
That our son is never coming home
For now he’s had his call

He’d been out on operations
And stepped onto a mine
It was then he must have realised
That that moment was his time

He’d died within an instant
He would not have been in pain
Reality now hits us
He’s not coming home again

The soldiers then got up to leave
They’d said they’d call again
Then heading for the door they said
“Your son didn’t die in vain”

“To you he was a hero
He was brave and he was strong,
Don’t let anybody tell you
That what he did was wrong”

“To us he was our brother
And we mourn his loss like you
We are proud we had the pleasure
To have him serve beside us too”

It was then our tears exploded
For they also felt our pain
We hugged them both and said goodbye
Then closed the door again

At the funeral the church was filled
With soldiers from all ranks
Some of them gave tributes
And all of them gave thanks

Thanks that they had known our son
How he’d touched each of their lives
And that our son would always be with them
Beside them in their minds

These tributes brought us comfort
To know that he was loved
We know he’ll always be watching over us
From the heavens up above

We can tell you, fear and dread are common place
When a loved one is at war
But the fear a family dreads the most
Is a knock upon the door