Inspired by The American Widow Project, I wrote lyrics to this song around Veteran’s Day in November of 2009 after this story on NPR caught my attention. The melody came a little bit later, and actually over time I wound up stripping down some of the other parts to keep this more straightforward.

Listen to “Little Black Boxes”

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Little black boxes
Stacks of letters I sent
White car in the driveway
Two men and a flag
Within “The Days Ahead”

And I try to smell him
But they washed all his clothes
And sealed them in plastic
In little black boxes
Within “The Days Ahead”

* “The Days Ahead” is the name of the 3 ring binder the U.S. Military gives to widows. The American Widow Project is on Twitter @americanwp

On my Veteran’s Day commute into Springfield, Massachusetts to start another work day in my cubicle, this story caught my attention on NPR.

It features a woman named Taryn Davis, who her lost her husband, a soldier. She was 21 at the time. Feeling alone and frustrated, she set out to find other women in similar situations. She connected with other widows, and a documentary video entitled The American Widow Project was born. She hopes to include in the binder of information that the military provides to widows.