Let’s say a silent prayer
And put our heroes in His care
They’re thinly spread out everywhere
And their plight seems so familiar
But their courage is o so rare
So for a minute, let’s say a prayer
For the son who won’t attend his mother’s 50th birthday
Coz he’s hidden in a bush so far away
All he does is hope she has a good day
While all she does is pray he’ll see a safer day
She understands, and for his safety she’ll also pray
All she hopes is for a day when on his own bed he’ll lay
For the mother who won’t attend her son’s nursery school graduation
She had to get back to work coz she’s a woman on a mission
As he sings the nursery rhymes and gets awarded for his dedication
She says a prayer, pulls the trigger, and hopes for eventual absolution
She thinks of her son but she determines the security of the whole nation
She’s a mother, a lover and a daughter, but also a protector of a nation
For the brother missing his young sister’s farewell party
He works so hard so they can afford the party
He’s always in the bush and he’s not yet even thirty
No wife of his own, not that he’s never thirsty
Priorities for him, his family and our security
He works for the money, but he fights for our safety
For the father who won’t be there to see his son off to college
He’s always absent and he’ll only come back in his old age
Family to him has become an unsung adage
And we blame him for it until we get to his age
He’s doing his best for the safety of his countrymen
He sacrificed his fatherhood for the sake of something great
For the mother who won’t be there to guide her daughter through puberty
Coz her place is in the wilderness, protecting the nation’s sovereignty
For the sister slaving in foreign lands to maintain the nation’s liberty
And the brother with bruises and gunshot wounds, fighting for our security
For their parents and siblings, spouses and children
And for their service to our nation’s safety, can I get an Amen
Trizah Fay © 2016