Wait for me
Konstantin Simonov
Wait for me and I’ll come back!
Wait with all your might!
Wait when dreary yellow rains
Tell you nothing’s right;
Wait when snow is falling fast;
Wait when summer’s hot;
When no one waits for other men
And all the past’s forgot!
Wait when those that wait with you
Are bored and tired and glum,
And when it seems, from far away,
No letters ever come!
Wait for me and I’ll come back!
Wait in patience yet
When they tell you off by heart
That you should forget;
And when my mother and my son
Give up on me at last
And friends sit sadly round the fire
And talk about the past
And drink a bitter glass of wine
In memory of me –
Wait! No rush to drink with them!
Tell them to wait and see!
Wait for me and I’ll come back,
Escaping every fate!
‘Just a lot of luck!’ they’ll say,
Those that didn’t wait.
They will never understand
How, amidst the strife,
By your waiting for me, dear,
You had saved my life!
Only you and I will know
How you got me through!
Simply – you knew how to wait!
No one else but you!
Written by Konstantin for Valentina Serova, as he assumed his duties for war in July 1941. The two were married in 1943, although their marriage did end tragically. The poem is one of the most popular poems ever written in Russia.
Every day I select a war poem, and respond to it, generally in poetic form. But perhaps not. Each poem grabs at something a little differently. Sometimes the themes blend together, sometimes they contradict. Many poets, were veterans themselves, others not. Their perspectives vary, and the poetry does in response. I’ll continue to do this as long as I keep finding poetry that explores novel or meaningful themes. You know, until the well runs dry.
Dog Tags
Wait for me, he whispers
I’ll expect these back
When I return, from…
Over there, I’ll be back
Chain dangles aluminum tag
Black rubber silenced
I’m coming back,
Wait for me, I’ll be fighting
For you, wait for me, us
Wipe your tears, my love
I’ll hold back mine
Wait for me, I’ll return
High school hero, first love
News fed nation under attack
Recruiter pitched perfect
Wait for me, I’m coming home
Young skin’s warmth
Softens cool aluminum tags
Departing kiss, wait for me
Letterman jacket for the jocks
Dog tags for heroes
The real kind, for real wars
Wait for me, I’m coming back
I love you, wait for me
Wait for me, he writes
Around her neck, dog tags
Wrapped reminder hangs
Lover’s request, wait for me
War’s move slow, far away
Until I return, wait for me
Forgotten kiss, aluminum cools
Black rubber dries, cracks
Wait for me, he writes
I’m coming home, I promise
Tangled chain returned
But I came back, he whispers
