Tears may mask the sorrow,
And grief may hide the pain.
But, how do we cope tomorrow?
And keep ourselves sane?
A light went out when we lost you,
Our darkest hour has come.
For the beautiful person you were to us,
Our precious, beautiful son.
A son who held our future,
Who to us was a life so rare.
Who had much to gain in this life,
How unfair he didn’t get his share.
But a short life can be as precious,
And can touch as many hearts.
Where the pleasure was in knowing you,
That remains, within equal parts.
To know you was to love you,
That outreached and touched those near.
A love that was unconditional,
Even in the midst of fear.
A fear that marked your future,
And even though you felt it near.
Your job would be the purpose,
The reason for being here.
But through a job you gave your all,
A nation’s son now lost.
Many more will follow,
So each life taken, but at what cost?
Is life worth so very little,
That we never count its cost?
Do we forget those left behind,
Left to live with that great loss?
We only know our life has changed,
Our hopes and dreams gone too.
Our lives have lost their purpose,
Because they died along with you.
We now hold dear the memories,
And pictures record your smile.
Because through them, we still have you,
That we’ll cherish till the end of time.
Silent tears now fill our moments,
Silent thoughts, we see your face.
Days are long and nights are lonely,
Because no one can ever take your place.
Oh, how we long to hear you,
If only for a little while.
Where a million words would be said,
That no doubt would bring a smile.
But for now we must walk the empty path,
Without you walking near.
The road, no doubt, will be lonely,
With it too we will shed many tears.
But tears will aid the healing,
As life begins anew.
Because each life has a special meaning,
The perfect creation which was you.
So we now give thanks for the beautiful you,
So perfect in every way.
We can only hope a greater purpose,
Was the reason you could not stay.
Perhaps one day we’ll meet again,
This hope will keep us sane.
As memories keep flooding back,
And we silently say your name.
An empty place within our hearts,
A space no one can fill.
What you left behind was priceless,
And cherished thoughts are with us still.
So even though we grieve your parting,
Our hearts are proud as we recall.
You gave your life in place of others,
Many saved meant few did fall.
Thank you for your selfless act,
Through our tears, we can stand tall.
As the world heard of your courage,
Your part in it may seem so small.
Records will write of sacrifice,
We will proudly read these lines.
How a war was fought for others,
But for you it was your time.
Generations too will learn much,
They in turn will tell the tale.
How the fight for victory was fought,
A fight that could not fail.
This fight we hope be soon over,
Before more lives are still lost.
That through the rubble will be courage,
That overcame the cost.
Our cost cannot be measured,
But our lives were enriched because of you.
Memories that will last a lifetime,
How your life touched others too.
You’ll never know the lives you touched,
Or the families given hope.
They’ll live without the fear,
This new life will help them cope.
They’ll build again the city,
That war had caused to fall.
Bricks cemented with courage,
Buildings will now stand tall.
Our son’s life wasn’t wasted,
His courage shown, he shared with all.
Children’s faces will smile again,
‘Peace at last’ the voices call.
Our son’s quest changed our history,
A role of honour bears his name.
We will constantly honour his memory,
Now others can do the same.
So thank you for the privilege,
You gave us as our son.
Someone unique and special,
No other name - but our precious son.

Written by Ailsa White (March 2003)
Dedicated to the many sons who lost their lives in the war in Iraq. The sons who didn’t come home.