“If You See Him, Say Hello”
This is a poem by Military Moms Contributor, Janna Hudson, written to the tune of “If You See Her, Say Hello” by Bob Dylan, released in 1975 on his album, Blood on the Tracks.
If you see him, say “hello,” he’s in the military.
He left here in early spring, he’ll be back by January.
Say for me that I’m alright, though things get kind of crazy.
He may think I’ve lost my mind, but I’ve seen rainbows fall on daisies.
We had to say goodbye, like families often do,
Not knowing where he had to fly, I know his aim is true.
And though another deployment, it pierces through the heart,
He still lives inside of me; we’ve never been apart.
If you see him in desert BDU’s, kiss him once for me.
I always have respected him for serving our country.
Oh, I know it had to be this way, and it’s more difficult for him;
Missing birthdays and holidays, his family and his friends.
On this day, especially, his children feel pride and pain,
thinking of their daddy while they dance and play in the falling rain.
And I’ve never gotten used to it, I’ve just learned to turn it off.
From the peak of misery to the shallows of the trough.
Sunrise, blue skies. The past is in the past.
Ripe flowers on the breeze, summer will go by fast.
When he comes back this way, we will not be hard to find.
Missing memories grow taller, children’s height the unit of time.
If you see him, say hello, even if he’s wary.
He’s walked the battlefield day and night. Every moment scary.
On guard since the day he left, evil traced his every step and followed him gravely.
He may have lost his mind, but he fought the devil bravely.
We welcomed him home, like families often do,
Not knowing the depths from where he’s roamed, we will never know what he went through.
The downside of deployment, it transforms the mind and heart.
It still lives inside of him; we’ve never been more apart.
If you see him out of uniform, hold him tenderly.
Not every day is joyful, despair consumes energy.
Oh, to whatever brings him peace, anguish stands in the way.
He came back home again, only to fight another day.
I see a lot of people, white flags with red and blue
Waived by his wife and children. He’s a soldier and father, too.
He never will get used to it; the sacrifice is endless.
From the peak of pride to the strain of time, his commitment was relentless.
Sunset, shimmering stars. The past is not the past.
Harvest season ending. Winter has come at last.
With open arms and a warm embrace, if you see him, say hello.
He might think the world’s forgotten him, tell him it isn’t so.
