Not Coming Home They hear the quiet knock on the door And see us through the window on the porch We don't have to say a single word And some things are much better left unheard They see us dressed in unit uniforms They know he's a casualty of war There really was no need for us to knock 'Cause the looks upon our faces say a lot: That he's not coming home Na na na na na, na na na na na, na na na na na They see us gently knock on their door But they know what the knocking is for And some people ain't ready to accept The news about their family heroes yet We may have to knock a few more times Maybe ring the doorbell once or twice This is how they choose to react: A rational avoidance of the fact That he's not coming home Na na na na na, na na na na na, na na na na na Lord knows I wanna say "He was only wounded, that's all" "I guess it's now time to disarm" "There is no cause for alarm" Finally they answer the door There really is no need to say more Mother knows the reason we are here Father proudly fights away his tears Brother holds a folded U.S. flag Wife looks at her hero's photograph It's more powerful than one roadside blast All reasonable reactions to the fact That he's not coming home Na na na na na, na na na na na, na na na na na ©2005 Michael B. Nahmias