Her eyes stare vacantly into
the picture on the wall
That man is her husband there
so handsome and tall

She remembers how years ago
he had simply stood at the doorway
and said "sorry love I have to go"
The rest of her life she had to forgo

He sits there chained to the wall
his daughter's voice echoing in his ears
silently staring into the nightfall
waiting for the next bird call

His wounds though healed
still bring him searing pain
The picture still so clear
of her bathing in the rain

His parents' eyes have grown weary
with every passing moment they know
they may never see the child they bore
He may not return to their shore

His cap, his uniform, his shoes
still hang in the cupboard
waiting to adorn him again
so his country never put to shame

She still cooks his favorite food
In case walk into the room he should
She puts on the music he loved
to connect to his soul and his blood

She has run from pillar to post
Her reflection in the mirror seems a ghost
Years have gone by but in vain
No one wants to know her personal pain

Together they are Prisoners of War
She's no less though she's afar
sometimes they together surrender
Are they actually alive - they wonder

Her eyes stare vacantly into
the picture on the wall
That man is her husband there
so handsome and tall...

Vinita Sinha Ganesh