Soon - Poem - Larry Borowitz

As the hours blur  

Stifled in the dank dark 

We hear the thuds 

Feel the booms  

Captive in this hell 

Of cold concrete —  

A tortuous tomb  

In a maze of tunnels 

The daze of shock  

Morphed into pain 

I cannot show… 

Being the parent  

You sit on my lap 

Subdued, forlorn  

My fingers combing  

Your tousled, red hair   

You’ve learnt to whisper 

Afraid of being a child 

Your innocence gone  

Since that fateful day 

You stand up  

I pull you close  

You quietly say,  

“Mommy, I want to go home!” 

I know our people  

Will not forsake us 

The day will come  

When we will return  

I need to be strong 

Yet the tears well  

For how many more days 

Can I say “Soon”? 

Poem written in November 2023

by Larry Borowitz