SHE MADE HER LOVE A VALENTINE

She made her love a valentine;
she penned the words with care.
With love she drew a heart thereon
and signed her name with flair.

She placed it in an envelope
and sealed it with a kiss,
then mailed it to her precious love
whom she so dearly missed.

Across the sea a soldier smiled
in a barracks cramped and dark.
Through misty eyes he read her card
and kissed with love the heart.

The two would wed when he returned;
she was his shining star,
but sometimes plans are forever changed
by the cruel blows of war.

They called his unit out at dawn
to meet the brutal foe,
and midst the cannons' booming roar
he heard the death wind blow.

With bravery he fought the fight
and gave his very best,
but a bullet wore his name that day
and struck him in the chest.

Upon a bloody field he lay,
far from his native land.
His buddies found him still and cold,
her valentine in his hand.

Copyright © 2004 Ruth Gillis