Homecoming

I leave the vessel, the war is over and done/

I see my friends and colleagues, celebrating what we’ve won/

Signs that welcome back, hugs and kisses all around/

Families reuniting, love and happiness is my sight and sound/

My fellow soldiers bid me goodbye, ready to move on with their lives/

And I prepare to find my friends and family, ignoring my internal cries/

I hold all my baggage, glancing around the dock/

It’s only now that I realize that it’s only me without a rock/

I hide my pain and sorrow and force out a small smile/

And then hop on the next bus, riding for the next mile/

With no one expecting me at all I decide to carry on/

And that’s the story of my homecoming homelessness/

Loneliness and all/