On the Pier

I see no one I know.

I push back the agony.

Noises and faces, all meaningless in the crowd.

Laughter and joy, with the extinction of longing,

Couples and families embrace, console, celebrate.

I look upon them with envious eyes.

Where are my comrades?

Where is my family?

...And where is she?

I clutch my bag, remembering memories and thoughts,

Of times spent, warm and loved, mingled with sweat and smiles.

Bittersweet images these are.

I wander further.

My heart is sinking.

The long days I spent without the sun,

Burdened with the everyday tasks,

Working in a fever to accomplish orders,

All within the iron skin of a haze gray weapon.

I look around, furtive in my search.

I smile.

There they were.

My friends and family...

All bunched up around a sign.

Welcome Home Sailor