Striped Carnation

You’ve always had my back,
Through times good and bad.
And you’ve always been so kind;
I’ve not once seen you mad.

I’ll never remember,
How it was we met.
We’ve been friends for forever,
From the womb, I would bet.

When we were kids,
We laughed and played,
We fought like siblings,
But friends we stayed.

You did my homework,
And I did your chores.
I traded my cookies,
For those apples of yours.

We had a great friendship,
But it wouldn’t last.
When we got to high school,
Feelings had amassed.

You brought me those flowers,
After I broke my wrist.
And that was the first time,
That we ever kissed.

I told you I loved you,
Less than a month later.
You said that you knew,
Your ego’d never been greater.

And then there was college,
In two different states.
I’m not sure how we made it,
We never were good at waits.

But we made it those years,
Then we moved in together.
Our only real fight,
O’er the sofa’s torn leather.

And then we went to dinner,
You got down on one knee,
Asked what I’d say,
If you proposed to me.

I maintain what I said:
That’s a shitty proposal,
But yes, yes I’ll be,
At your eternal disposal.

You’re the love of my life,
I want so bad to stay,
But I don’t have a choice,
And I’m leaving today.

They say eighteen months,
And who knows how long then?
Babe, I can’t ask you to wait,
‘Til I’m home again.

You want children and day jobs,
Family dinners at eight,
And I know that you’ll offer,
But I can’t ask you to wait.

You deserve so much better,
You deserve it all now,
There’s so much to say,
But I just don’t know how.

Don’t think I don’t love you,
I do, with all my heart,
But that’s why I must do this,
So that your life can start.

You don’t want to say goodbye,
For months at a time,
To your husband, your lover,
And worry about the crime.

You can’t live day-to-day,
Never knowing for sure,
If I’m coming back soon,
If I’ll die premature.

You’ve told me before,
And I’ve not forgotten,
And I know, Baby, I do--
The situation is rotten.

But it is what it is,
There’s nothing that I can do,
But try to be smart,
And say goodbye to you.

So go live your life,
And try not to cry,
Because you can be happy,
With Mr. Suit and Tie.

If when I come back,
You’re not gone on a date,
Then I guess we’ll just see,
...But, Babe, please don't wait.