Suffered Women in WW1

My life is great, much better than before;
I have a husband and two kids that I just adore.
It’s a dream of mine to watch my kids grow,
Into young adults with their own seeds to sow.

It is 1915 and I found in the paper,
A list of people that are now a soldier.
My husband was on the list, and had to go to war,
He packed his bag and promised to return, he swore.

It dawned upon me that I couldn’t stay home,
It wasn’t enough for the bills and the loan.
We still owe the bank for our house, you see,
But now there’s no choice, it’s all up to me.

It wasn’t too long that I got my first job,
But the amount of sewing I did made my fingers throb.
I made many work friends, although I felt so alone,
But I felt in my heart, soon my husband will return home.

It has been 3 months, and I am struggling to see,
Why I can’t get a better job to support my family.
I am capable of doing a lot more than I am,
Yet, the government believes it’s all just a scam.

Women are wanting equality in society,
As when it comes to employment, there is no variety.
We are not given very many choices,
In fact, in the workforce we are treated like we don’t have voices.

After a year of my husband fighting in war,
A man came and knocked on the door.
He handed me a letter that I never should’ve read,
The letter said that my husband was dead.

After I closed the door, I crouched on the floor,
I cried and said, “he should never have been sent to the war”.
It said that he was an ANZAC that was shot in Gallipoli,
While I cried, I wondered why he was sent into the military.

I had all of these questions; was he in pain?
God, please don’t tell me that he died in vain.
I went to tell the kids and all they could do was cry,
So, I told them that in heaven, daddy was able to fly.

In everything my husband did, he really used to thrive,
Now I have to keep the burning fire of his legend alive.
Even though, I’m now a widow, I don’t have a choice,
I’m determined more than ever to do what’s best for my boys.

I continued to make some noise and fight for women’s equality,
And for the right to work in roles that are the same as a man’s capacity.
And every time I speak up, I think of how my husband fought,
As he represented Australia until the day he got caught.

It’s 1942, and there have certainly been some changes;
Women have the right to work and vote, and no longer feel like they are in cages.
What would I have done without the RSL who supported me like no other,
As a widow of a veteran, we were there for one another.

Before I closed my eyes, I reflected upon my life,
I never thought that I would see the day there would be no strife.
My children have all grown up and are well and truly settled,
In a society where men and women are unparalleled.

My husband’s legacy will live on through the stories my children will tell,
My grandchildren as they learn about the war and how it fell.
The spirit of the ANZACs go down in history,
As their legacy is shared through generations of family.