Military spouse A. Dean has written this poem about life during deployment – the quiet weight carried at home, and the moments of connection through video calls and small gestures.
Marching Boots
Six months
stretch ahead,
long, quiet.
I count the days,
send small treasures,
whisper love
into packages
and across screens.
Technology is kind, love.
It’s not like years before.
We hear your voice,
see your face,
and for that moment,
We are together.
She reaches for you,
tiny hands
searching
the space you leave.
The dog tilts his head,
ears pricked,
tail low,
watching the door.
Marching boots,
my love,
waiting to come home.
And when they do,
we breathe together again,
whole.