I asked her tonight,
my best friend,
she has three boys,
her oldest just turned
18, last year...I asked her,
"How would you feel?
If your boy, who didn't
volunteer, were drawn,
to go, and fight,
how would you two feel?"

We talked, we thought,
we mourned past lives,
we reveled in the splendor
of Nowness, he was here,
not there, he was free,
yet... "How would you feel?",
I asked, again. "My love,
my dearest friend,
how would YOU feel?"

"Would you curse our government,
if he fell, to keep us free,
would you scream "foul",
would you hate our land,
would you, my darling friend,
would you...die?"

"Would your other two sons
cry "justice"? Would they
change? Could they
not see, the sacrifice
we mothers
often bleed, slipping away,
could they not
form the substance
of Now, of Living
with the pain of loss?"

"Could it be?
Will we see?
Do we grow?
Who says it's so?"

"Can we survive
the pain of
being Alive?"

She, friend of
my soul, said,
"Yes..."

Erin Moen
3/14/03
Copyright 2003 ©

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Reader Reviews for "Three Sons, Tonight..."

Reviewed by Erica Ivory (author) 3/15/2003

Powerful... hard question.. I am going to take the cowards way amd say NO.. I cannot give up my sons.. Cannot WILL NOT.. For an war...for any one.. they can have me.

Reviewed by Andre Bendavi Ben-YEHU (author) 3/15/2003

STRIKING reason! A call to good sense.
This poem has what poetry is supposed to bring.
Bless America! Bless The Mothers!
We still have time to save America!
--------->>>>>>>>>...to The Road of Justice on the Bus of LAW...

Thanks for posting.

Andre Emmanuel Bendavi ben-YEHU

Reviewed by Joel Raja Kumar J (author) 3/15/2003

Erin, Having children in military is painful for any mother or father for that matter.
I hate war myself but if my son was in military and had to go, I will let him and will not curse the govenment.

It is no use. I will just pray that is all.

Let us just hope the war never breaks out

Love from India - Joel -

Reviewed by the phantom pheonix (author) 3/15/2003

this was a very deep thoughtful poem nice job on it

Reviewed by Retta (Reindeer) Mckenzie (author) 3/15/2003

Wow..I have two sons, Just moved me very deeply with this wonderful, powerful poem,

Loving your message here,

Reindeer

Reviewed by Poetress X (author) 3/15/2003

Yes, very powerful. Really got me thinking.

Reviewed by Sally Odgers (author) 3/14/2003

We survive because we have to, I suppose... and our boys and girls join up knowing they might be called on to fight. My RAAFie son put it this way; "I'm a techo, but I'm also a soldier..."

Sally Odgers.

Reviewed by Elizabeth Lucas-Taylor (author) 3/14/2003

This is a thoughtful poem. I think anyone who has anyone in service has an indefinable anxiety. I know I would, even though I had uncles, husbands and a father in military during wars. Everyone's life is touched whether they are related or no.

~E

Reviewed by Bobbi Duffy (author) 3/14/2003

Yes, we mothers survive. When my son was preparing for Desert Storm, I was glued to the television, praying that somehow it would be over before his ship reached the Persian Gulf. When he went to Panama to help capture Neuriaga (sp) I thought I would die from the anxiety. Yes, we survive, but we don't thrive again until they are home.

Wonderful write, important question. Thanks for voicing our side of it.

Reviewed by Peggy Bertrand (author) 3/14/2003

Erin,
Powerful , emotional
this is an excellent poem.
Peggy