They Needed Someone to Lead Them, and She Couldn’t Let Them Go Alone

(A Song for Jane)

They said the count was almost done,
More than twenty still out,
The dusk had wrapped the canyon wide,
And silence held the doubt.

But Jane stood there, listening still.
The whispers in the mesquite,
She knew the trail, she knew each name,
And she made a vow she’d keep.

They needed someone to lead them
And she couldn’t let them go alone,
Not down that final trail,
If one child called into the night,
She’d set her soul to sail.

The roll call wasn’t just a list,
It lived inside her bones.
She gave her light, she gave her rest,
She couldn’t let them go alone.

Her voice had soothed a thousand storms,
Her laughter led the way,
She stitched up hearts with quiet care,
And made a world feel safe.

But more than twenty were missing still,
And she could hear their song.
A chorus faint, but full of hope,
She knew where she belonged.

They needed someone to lead them
And she couldn’t let them go alone,
Not into dark unknown,
They needed someone brave and true,
To guide them safely home.

So with her lantern burning low,
She stepped where few had gone.
Because the good ones never quit
She couldn’t let them go alone.

Maybe she’s out there even now,
Where echoes rise and fall.
Singing camp songs
Out where the stars outshine them all.

And someday we’ll catch up to her,
Where kindness charts the sky,
She’ll smile and say, “You made it too.
Now rest your weary eyes.”

They needed someone to lead them
And she couldn’t let them go alone,
Her purpose too well known.
If even one still needed her,
She’d walk that path alone.

But Jane is not lost,
She simply journeyed on…
For love like that, it never leaves,
It leads us home.