There is one front and one battle where everyone in the United States—every man, woman, and child—is in action and will be privileged to remain in action throughout this war. That front is right here at home, in our daily lives and in our daily tasks. Here at home everyone will have the privilege of making whatever self-denial is necessary, not only to supply our fighting men, but to keep the economic structure of our country fortified and secure during the war and after the war.

President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s radio broadcast to the nation, April 28, 1942


Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Mail Call



Shirley


MAIL CALL

I love to talk, so teacher
thought I would be best-suited
for writing to the boys overseas
and telling them all the news
of our little town.

Many graduates
of Abraham Lincoln School
are now serving in
Europe, Africa, and the Pacific.

I can’t imagine how dull it must be
for a worldly-wise man in uniform
to receive a letter
from a twelve-year-old girl
who writes about
the wedding of Mr. Peacham
and the widow Mrs. Barnes,
or of the latest episode
of Daredevils of the West.

One week, the only thing
I had to write about
was the snowstorm and
getting my toes nearly
frostbit while sledding.
How boring for my readers.

© Diane Mayr, all rights reserved. Photo courtesy Library of Congress. Poster courtesy newhousedesign.

3 comments:

Joyce Ray said...

Diane, again, this is phenomenal work! I had to scroll down and read what I'd missed lately. Ellie's poem is superb.I love it.

Amy L V said...

But what a treat for a soldier to hear about such small bits of daily life! I like this little girl speaker so much, her honesty and clarity.
Too, reading this poem reminds me of when I wrote to a soldier I had never met in 1991. War takes so many different tolls... A.

Diane Mayr said...

Thank you for writing, I appreciate your comments, ladies, and I'm happy to know that my work is striking a chord.