The Knock at the Door

Lisa pins the holly up on the wall in just the right place.
“That’s where Dan would hang it,” she thinks with pride.
January 12th is the magical date;
The day when everything will finally be set right.
She hums as she goes about her work, decorating the house
For the Christmas that is just around the corner.
Less than a month now until everything will be okay.
The radio is playing “I’ll Be Home for Christmas”
And that is what Lisa is humming, she realizes.
It was unconscious for a while, as she was concentrating
Quite hard on getting the star to stand up straight on the top
Of the Christmas tree, jangling its lights and ornaments.
All the effort is silly of course, as Dan won’t be home for Christmas,
But she’s going to make sure that everything is just perfect.
When he comes back on January 12th,
He’ll see the place lit up like Times Square in celebration
Of his homecoming and return to Lisa’s bed and arms.
They’ll have the holiday together, even if they’re late.

It’s quiet in the house without him, but not for much longer.
He seemed so tired when she talked to him on the webcam
This Wednesday, his face lined and his voice dragging.
But he also sounded so happy; he was ready for it to be over.
He was ready to come home to her, to be done with duty.
“Christmas in Kandahar, babe. I’d rather be with you.”
Dan is her inspiration, the reason she keeps going;
Why she is able to run their ailing store by herself;
How she can still smile when the sun doesn’t shine all day;
What she looks forward to when things seem impossibly cruel.
No one else could make her feel that way, and that is fine.
There is no need for anyone else as long as his laugh is hers.

With a light leap, Lisa swings away from the tree to check on the oven
Where the sugar cookies are almost ready to come out to cool,
But there is a knock at the door.
“It must be Dan’s parents. They’re a little early, but that’s like them.”
Diverted from the kitchen, she sashays to the front door,
Glad to talk to Dan’s mother especially, as she wants her advice on a gift.
Lisa pulls the door open with a flourish and is surprised to see
Two men in green on the porch, standing tall and resolute.
The world becomes unglued as they ask if she is Mrs. Lisa Kerwin.
Her whispered, “Yes,” is almost redundant as the taller man states,
“The Secretary of the Army has asked me to express
His deep regret that your husband was killed in action…”
Nothing is real except for the radio, where Bing Crosby sings
With obscene cheer, “I’ll be home for Christmas,
If only in my dreams.”