THE FACE OF A HERO

© 2001 Erin Collins

Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. John 15:13 (KJV)

They may have looked just like you or me, but they were not.

They took no thought going into that dangerous zero ground,

Where there was great risk of life and the air grew so hot.

They may have been fathers, sisters, brothers or friends, a husband, a wife

They may have been unknown to us before, merely a stranger.

That lessened not the bravery for them, these risk takers,

To have gone in with eyes wide open, boldly into unknown danger.

Their lives were shown to us all as they forged on to their task,

The story of the impact written across soot stained faces.

No one called them, to beg for help, for no one had to ask.

Muscles aching, fatigue ran rampant, testing,

Human strength strained and brought beyond its limit.

As they worked side by side, speaking not with words,

But with their spirits, not knowing their future going in it.

As I watched the horror unfold upon the scene fraught with so much fear,

The men and women fighting the unknown forces of evil, faces steeled,

Against the tide of terror, those masks of steel cracked with tears,

Knowing this was to be their greatest test of faith

To reveal the human emotion behind the uniform of these heroes.

The oneness of these rescuers, no thought of their own safety,

Pulled together with everything they could, to try to ease our woes.

And what of those whose lives were taken in the face of so much?

The ones who had to say goodbye to families loved so dearly,

To tell them that they loved them, to somehow reach out to touch?

Just one last time, to say the things, they might never say again.

To try to warn the world of the evils that would befall us all,

To, perhaps, bring peace to those who were destined for this day,

So the last words would provide us with the strength not to fall.

 As the towers twin, sat silent that morning, stately above all like sentinels great,

The tragedy of night in the early dawn of day came calling.

All of these brave women and men had been sealed in their fate.

Who would know on this, possibly on their last day of this life,

As they worked vigorously to set so many free

They would leave us a legacy of bravery,  fortitude, perseverance, and strength,

On a day meant to bring us down, and instead, united us for eternity.