Christina A. Sharik

1918

American mother in Newark, NJ, with son headed to Basic TrainingShe’s taken him to the Station
to see him off, you see –
The year is 1918, and
France seems the place to be.

He’s anxious to get going
She wants to keep him near
She holds a silken Blue Star flag
and muffles all her fear.

Mother, now I wonder
If your son lived to be old
How did your lives move forward?
Did the Blue Star turn to Gold?

Mother, now I wonder –
What things did your boy see;
When the year was 1918,
and France, the place to be…