NOT COMING HOME

The phone rings.
An unanswered summoning
leaving one to wonder.
He said goodbye today.
He was used to saying “See you later”.
And the longer it had gone without answer
made her worry. The children came to mind.
Do they know? Did they hear?
Why doesn’t it add up?
Through the window, smoke and dust,
a veil shrouded in obscurity.
You watched in terror. Replayed
over and over with the same result;
an insane happenstance. No chance
to say “I love you”. Only goodbye.
Your gut tells you what your heart refuses
to intimate. It’s too late. He’s not coming home.