In Waiting

With tear-filled eyes I
Watched him sail into the mist.
Now, heart swelling with
Hope, I wait for his return.
Do not forget me, my son.

For the curious, a tanka is a traditional 5-lined Japanese poem that contains five syllables on the first line, seven syllables on the second line, five on the third line, and seven syllables (each) on the last two lines. Usually, they're about natural things, but that image of Jack's mother suddenly got to me one night...
--LM