Where I Cannot Go

Today my son leaves for a place,
somewhere I cannot go.
A war torn land, far overseas,
for how long, I don’t know.
And though I’ve been his biggest fan,
throughout his life, it’s true -
I now must step aside, to let him
do what he must do.
His life has been a journey,
that has led him to this day.
I never will forget the moment,
when I heard him say,
“Mom, I want to be a Marine!”
his words etched in my mind.
I felt my heart go to my throat,
my voice I could not find.
He’s still so young, at twenty-one,
it’s hard to watch him leave.
What’s waiting for him up ahead,
my mind cannot conceive.
So as I see him off at last,
the few, the proud,  please know -
That my heart goes with him,
Into this place I cannot go.
Lord, I pray, please keep him safe,
where evil does convene.
For your eye is on the sparrow,
And on my U.S. Marine…