Home Front

by Maryann Hurtt


they wait on the porch to hear
two long   one short   one long
blast of whistles
the 6am passenger sends
her oldest to Korea

she clutches her late in life
(breasts leaking)
child close

the little one clings tighter
their heart beats
almost in tune
but the air is cold
and they wonder if they will ever
know warmth again

sixty years pass
the old woman hears
two long   one short   one long
whistles
stands on her porch
remembers
the click-clack
of the rails

the rhythm of their hearts


* * * * *

BIO: Now retired after working thirty years as a hospice RN, Maryann Hurtt listened to a thousand stories of resiliency, pain, joy, and sorrow. Her poetry reflects many of the stories. Verse-Virtual, Gyroscope Review, Moss Piglet, and Anti-Heroin Chic recently published her work. Once Upon a Tar Creek Mining for Voices (Turning Plow Press) came out 2021. Tar Creek has been called “the worst environmental disaster no one has heard of.” Hurtt is determined its legacy is remembered and heeded.