Lawrence Hall
Mhall46184@aol.com  
https://hellopoetry.com/lawrence-hall/
poeticdrivel.blogspot.com

                                     When the Rescuers Stood Down

                                               Surfside, Florida

As the rescuers stood down last night they left
Their prayers, their desperate hopes, their bitter tears
Upon those troubled rocks where they poured out love
They poured themselves, and they are empty now

What’s left must soon come down:

Concrete and steel, toys and dolls, Mama’s pictures
Letters from friends, ‘phones that won’t ring anymore
Eyeglasses, fountain pens, lesson plans, books
Spare change, unfinished poems, unfinished lives

The rescuers will return, and try again
Because their hearts are in that wreckage still

Not every superhero wears a mask
Some can only wear a smile
Showing that they understand another's problems
As they work to guide people out of the dark

Not every superhero has gadgets
Some of them wear bright vests
announcing to the world that help is on the way
as smoke and debris fills the air

Not every superhero wears a cape
Some of them wear surgical masks and gloves
Struggling every day to make a difference
against overwhelming odds

Not every superhero has superpowers
Most of them are ordinary people
that when the world was ending, stopped
and asked "How can I help?"