The first time I recieved a letter
From my husband, I was twenty-two
Married three years
He was in the army
Vietnam


It was getting warmer outside,
Like and oven heating up
Birds singing, Flowers blooming

I shuffled outside
To get the mail
The house nextdoor was black inside
Empty

The boy, about twelve,
Brought me my mail
Then got on his bike,
Peddled away
Never looking back

The stack of letters was heavy
A brick in my hand

I looked through the stack
Junk of all sorts
Like a trashcan
Until I got to a letter
From him

He told me of the accident
A roadside bomb
"The hospital is lonely", he wrote,

He told me that he loved me
Like his own life, many times
"If you got this letter, I'm already
Gone"
I read the lines over
And over
'Til it hit me
Like a speeding truck on the road
He was gone