Dec 2011
The call went out
It meant one thing.
Death in the line of duty
Women keen
and Grown men weep
at the loss of youth and beauty.
The empty locker,
The owner-less gear,
silence that is a presence.
Brave Liam lies dead.
The fireman’s friend
Pity the parents their loss
The owner less toys,
The master less pets,
How to make sense of it all?
It meant one thing.
Death in the line of duty
Women keen
and Grown men weep
at the loss of youth and beauty.
The empty locker,
The owner-less gear,
silence that is a presence.
Brave Liam lies dead.
The fireman’s friend
Pity the parents their loss
The owner less toys,
The master less pets,
How to make sense of it all?
5-5-5-5 is the N.Y.C. fire dept code for death in the line of duty. this poem is concerning an unusual 5-5-5-5 call that went out for a little boy who succumbed to cancer. See my poem Prince Liam the Brave for the back story.
