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Hey Readers!

I was over-ruled in my selection for Open Mic night tomorrow evening.  My fam says this is the story I should read.  I wrote it September 11th, 2001 and it has not yet seen the light of day. It's timeliness isn't lost on me.  If you get a chance to read them both, drop me a message with your vote.  If I have a voice tomorrow night and if I can breathe my husband is accompanying me to what may well be my first public debut since High School!  The real challenge will be reading this one without crying.  Didn't manage to do it tonight.

HEROES

 
He stood inside the old firehouse door,
Staring out at the black, sooty sky,
Grieving and empty like never before,
The fireman began to cry.

His guys, his team, the men he loved,

Would not be coming home,
And never in his entire life,
Had he ever felt so alone.

As people placed their tributes,

Before the old, wood firehouse door,
He bowed his head to hide his pain,
His tears fell to the floor.

When his vision cleared,

His eyes caught sight,
Of a little primitive, wooden altar,
That stood out against the night,

He saw a wrinkled envelope,

Scribbled on it like a child would write,
“To my Daddy, my hero, with all my love”,
“Please read me tonight!”

 He picked it up and opened it,

Though he knew it wasn’t right,
This child’s note screamed out to him,
“Please read me tonight”.

He reached into the envelope,

There was no big surprise,
He found a crayoned letter,
Folded square and tucked inside.

He hesitated for a moment,

Fighting his conscience now,
But something about this tribute,
Called out to him somehow.

He gently unfolded the letter,

Tears falling as he cried,
With vision blurred he struggled to read,
The message that was inside.

“Dear Daddy,

I missed you today Daddy,
When I came home from school,
I missed your hug, your kiss, your smile,
But mostly I missed you.”

“I thought you were playing hide n seek,

So I looked everywhere,
But you weren’t in the kitchen, the closet, the bathtub,
Or in your favorite chair”.

“I did my homework and made a snack,

Just like we always do,
Then I sat in your favorite chair,
And I waited and waited for you.”

“I broke the rule about TV,

But I didn’t watch cartoons,
I found your old, lucky workshirt,
And I sat and watched the news”.

“First I saw the building,

Where Mommy goes to work,
A great big plane crashed into it,
And it crumbled into dirt”.

“Then I saw the fire truck,

They showed buried by debris,
And that is when I realized,
Why you weren’t home with me.”

“I kneeled before your favorite chair,

And bowed my head to pray,
But I cried so hard,
You couldn’t have heard,
What I wanted to say.”

“So I built this tiny altar,

And I wrote this note to you,
To tell you, PLEASE find Mommy,
And tell her I miss her too!”

“Daddy, you are my hero,

I can’t picture my life without you,
But I know that you’re not coming home,
Because you did what good firemen do.”

“I know you’re up in heaven,

Where heroes and angels go,
I know that you’ll find Mommy,
Please tell her I MISS HER SO!”

“I am sitting all alone now,

In your shirt and favorite chair,
I’m trying to be brave like you,
But Daddy, I’m really scared.”

“And Daddy I don’t know why,

God took you both away?
But I know you’re watching over me,
From heaven’s window today.”

“Mommy, Daddy, when you get this,

Please send me a little sign,
To let me know that you are both OK,
And that everything will be fine.”

“You’re in my heart and in my prayers,
With all my love forever,
Your little Earth angel,
Heather.”

The fireman wiped his teary eyes,

Then dropped the child’s words,
And he ran the 15 blocks,
To the house he knew was hers.

He frantically rang each bell,

And he beat upon the doors,
Until a tenant let him in,
And he ran up all three floors.

He stood there in the hallway,

Heart pounding in his chest,
Struggling to find the words,
That would put her fears to rest.

 “Heather, it’s fireman Tony,

Please honey, please open the door,”
He heard a child’s whimper,
Heard shuffling on the floor.

“Honey please let me in,

Your daddy was my best friend,
I read your letter and made him a promise,
You’d never be alone again.”

 The child opened the door,

Tears streaming down her cheeks,
Too overcome to talk,
Her knees now feeling weak.

 She fell into his warm embrace,

And whispered in his ear,
“My daddy got my letter,
I know he sent you here”.

“I asked him to find Mommy,

And I know that you’re the sign,
That they are both OK,
And that everything will be fine.”

The sacrifice that heroes make,

To nothing else compares,
So don’t forget what they gave up,
And keep them in your prayers.

 

by tls09112001