Mementos dot a metal fence line
Lost memories and disappearing time
Words sent forth to a loved one gone
While the days keep marching on

A reminder of when terror struck
The day a zealot drove a Ryder truck
Into a federal building in Oklahoma City
And left a gaping hole in the heart of humanity

168 chairs and a Survivor Tree
A tranquil tribute to a memory
Reverence to those who died
And to the day a nation cried

The metal fence holds a note
In it a grandmother wrote
Your mom and dad are heartbroken
Life stopped when you died in that explosion
Nothing today seems worthwhile
Without your beautiful smile

She writes, I know it’s true
That I can’t hear from you
If only you could send me a letter
It would make my world a little better
Cause the light shines so much less
But heaven has no return address

She finally saw the phone
And the missed ringtone
On the voicemail she hit play
To hear what he had to say

A passenger on United 93
said, “Baby, it’s me.
I know it’s scary
But, please don’t worry.”

On his way home to San Francisco
His final words to her were ‘I love you’
She listened to that message
As she saw news of the wreckage

Men and women who would not yield
Died as fallen angels on a Pennsylvania field
Countless lives the passengers saved
Because of the terror that they braved

Her wedding day was to be in November
But her dreams perished the eleventh of September
Today she holds on to the sound of his voice
It’s all she has left; she has no choice

She thinks, I know it’s true
That I can’t hear from you
If only you could send me a letter
It would make my world a little better
Cause the light shines so much less
But heaven has no return address

A backpack and lunchbox
A ponytail of golden locks
A trapper keeper and a pink notebook
She walked that morning into Sandy Hook

From the horror of a gunman’s blast
Her innocent young life was dashed
He broke every traffic rule
Getting to that elementary school

That morning he’d been preoccupied
When his little girl tried to say goodbye
He’d have held her in an endless embrace
If he’d only known it’s the last time he’d see her face

He thinks, I know it’s true
That I can’t hear from you
If only you could send me a letter
It would make my world a little better
Cause the light shines so much less
But heaven has no return address

A folded stars and stripes
Crisp salutes and bagpipes
They all want a piece of his glory
They tell her his is a hero’s story

She knows he was born to serve
To offer a nation his steely nerve
Yet, all she wants is one more stolen kiss
A smile from the man she’ll forever miss

She said goodbye to all that matters
The day he fell in battle
An Army chaplain came to their home
And told her he was gone
She hit her knees to the floor
And cried into a driving rain pour

He paid an unreturnable price
Gave his country the ultimate sacrifice
Yet, that doesn’t make everything okay
Because she’s still here and he’s far away

She cries, I know it’s true
That I can’t hear from you
If only you could send me a letter
It would make my world a little better
Cause the light shines so much less
But heaven has no return address

One day He’ll come back
And make everything okay
But right now, all I can do is pray
Cause the light shines so much less
And heaven has no return address

Maybe one day I’ll cry a little less
When heaven sends a return address