“Don’t you like it?”
He prods the pasta with his fork.
“It’s great, Ma. Just like I remember. I’m not so hungry is all.”
“You’re so thin,” she says, then trails off.
Her eyes drift across the hook that replaced his beautiful hand, move over the ruin of his face, settle on the eyes.
The eyes are safe.
The eyes are the same.
Her boy, so talented, so moral.
He’d been handsome in his uniform, cheerful in his letters.
Home now, he is full of darkness, his mind a canyon of silences.
She does what she can.
It’s not enough.
Dear Josh,
So many soldiers return but never come back. You’ve captured that well.
Shalom,
Rochelle
And from there, other questions and reflections grow, which you’ve wisely left the reader to pose
Powerful!
A sad tale made all the more so by the helplessness spelt out in the last few words.
Here’s mine!
Scarring… that is the truth of war. well told.
Love the phrase a canyon of silences. Excellent.
A sad homecoming after war’s ravages. Beautifully composed reflection.
So sad but so true for many :(
Powerful story. I think the lines about the eyes are really strong.
Wow, Josh, this is so accurate for the many who return wounded in ways that surgery and patching up cannot make right. :( Heartbreakingly well done.
Thanks!
I cannot even imagine for either of them how to try to move forward. Wonderfully written, Josh.
A sad and powerful tale.
Unbearably sad, this is still a lovely take on the prompt. Wonderful writing.
Poor mother. Does she know what has happened to him?
War rattles human vulnerabilities and shows how insufficient we can be – it destroys self-esteem.
Very poignant take on the prompt, Josh. Well done.
A lot of emotion in just a few words. Well done.