They came to do battle,
The runners in thousands,
Against one another,
Against the terrain.
Each of them striving towards a personal goal.
They came to do homage,
The joyous spectators,
To the athletes,
To the city,
Each of them cheering the runners along.
He came to do carnage,
With bombs filled with shrapnel,
To maim and to kill,
To punish the living.
Each of them blind to the danger nearby.
They came to do service,
The first responders, the doctors, the nurses,
To succor the wounded,
To rescue those trapped.
Each one determined to help others cheat death.
I honor the heroes who succored the wounded,
Who ran towards the danger to rescue those trapped.
I honor their courage and their dedication.
We oft hear the mantra "Guns don't kill people; people kill people."
Today I'm reminded:
People save people.
Well said, Cuz. Keep in mind also those who were not professionals.. the everyday people who comforted, rescued, held and cried with the injured.
ReplyDeleteA couple of my regular bloggers had the following Mr. Rogers quote on their blogs. Your poem has a similar sentiment:
“When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, 'Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping." ~ Fred Rogers
Thanks for adding this, Hilary. You are absolutely right.
DeleteBravo, Phyllis! Thank you! Beautifully written.
ReplyDeleteThank you LInda!
DeleteVery nice! Poignant and powerful.
ReplyDelete