Glimmer of Hope

She looks in the cold metal box. She has a glimmer of hope. She remembers how he hugged her. She remembers how she cried onto his coarse uniform as he held her in his steal grasp. She recalls the way he looked at her. The way he kissed her just as he was ripped away. The way he whispered in her ear how he loved her and would come home soon. She remembered his smile, a solid mask to hide his pain. She remembers the note he slipped her, saying he’d come home soon. A promise he never could make. She opens the box. Her heart stops. A single letter addressed to her. She has a glimmer of hope.