The Promise Poem by Suu Casey Young

He stood outside the white washed home,
this job was his alone to do.
He’d promised a dying brother in arms,
and was going to see it through.
The woman who came to the door,
was aged by lines of grief.
As much as he felt her reluctance,
her polite curiosity, was a relief.

“I’m sorry ma’am to trouble you
and you may think I shouldn’t have come,
but Jim was one of my brothers
and it’s something he wanted done.”
The smile she gave didn’t reach her eyes
as she lied, saying she understood.
He could only hope he did it right
so that by the time he left, she would.

“I ain’t telling you what you don’t already know
when I say Jim was really proud of you.
He didn’t just love you as a son
but respected what you went through.”
The woman raised her eyes to his
and he sympathised with her pain.
From the breast pocket of his uniform,
he withdrew the reason he’d came.

“Jim said he always promised you a gift
every time he went overseas,
but never found anything good enough,
until he happened on these.
I really would like you to stand ma’am
as ceremony was important to him.
I’m honoured to make this presentation
on behalf of your son Jim.”

He passed the dark blue, suede box,
stood at attention and gave a salute.
Up till now she’d said very little,
but at the sight of the box she was mute.
“You’ve probably been told how brave he was,
well every word of that was true.
But every day he let us know,
his strength of conviction came from you.

The soldier held his breath,
as she gasped at the gift inside.
Two specially engraved medals
and as she read the words she cried.
‘For bravery on the home front;
for duty above and beyond.
For having the strength of a soldier
and the love of a special mom.’

He stood outside the white washed home,
placed his cap back on his head,
He’d promised a dying brother
to go home in his stead.
The woman stood inside the house,
thinking on what the young soldier had done.
He had lost so many,
while she had lost a son.

She heard the front gate open
and knew what she had to do.
Opening the door she called him back.
of her son’s friends she knew so few.
The man in the uniform before her
had not only fought at her son’s side,
but loved him as a brother,
with honour and with pride.

A soldier does his duty
in more ways than fight a war,
some acts can be more difficult,
and that’s what Jim's mother saw.
A brother made a promise
and with honour saw it through,
because brotherhood and honour
are what soldiers hold on to.