As I lay on the bottom of my bunk I gaze at the supports above me
Realizing that they are simply hallmarks of the true reality
The supports in use are nothing more than wire strands
I reach for them with outstretched hands

A simple touch and then a grasp is all that it takes
To understand the reality of all that awaits
The reality that each strand serves only to form a bar
Separating us from our loved ones afar

Move them as I might
brings about a horrific sight
small though they may be, they are intertwined
unmovable; haunting the hallows of my mind

I listen to what they may be saying
Nervous I gasp in hopes that they will respond to my praying
It soon dawns on me that nothing is what they hear
But they speak resoundingly to the loved ones I hold so dear

Without words they send a message that screams
“you at this time shall only see your loved ones in your dreams”
It is true that my family is seen in my slumber
a dream that is interrupted by cracks of thunder

In my dream I gaze through the gaps in the supports
visions of my family that the gap vexes and contorts
There they are sleeping quietly but with great effort I can see
my family passing time without the likes of me

There is no denying the fact that this is how it will remain
until my tasking is complete and I can get on with life again
I, once again, reach out at the supports above
And realize they cannot dissolve the bonds of love

A feeling of contentment erupts throughout my body
An emotion so powerful if appears ungodly
Positive feelings have once again arisen
I enter into a restful sleep inside the confines of my prison

A restful sleep I could only attain
Through mental exhaustion causing certain thoughts to wane
The thoughts that my family is locked in their own insanity
Insanity that proves to be a calamity

Behind unseen strands of wire
Wire that only serves to conspire
Conspiring to prey upon thoughts of loneliness and despair
Polluting every breath of air

For it is what I have chosen as my profession
That has led to their depression
Along with me they serve their sentence
And they look for my return as their repentance

The wire is a test to their resolve
But time will pass and the wire will dissolve
I will return stateside to places I have been
My family and I will be reunited again.