We walk through the world
Not showing the fear that boils down under
Putting on the brave face
and Striding into the darkest night
Kissing our worried wives or husbands or lovers
They may not say it but they feel it as they watch us
Ensconcing ourselves in Kevlar vests
And leaving for
they pray
They pray
Just for the day
And we walk the through the world
Brave hearts and souls
Caring more than many
Caring more than most
Just because we are
the last to run
and the first to stand and fight and try
try
try
To save this place for another minute, hour, day
We do it for children
We do it for love
We do it because we can’t help it
Picture
A murdering demon
Escapes clutches of the right
And careens through people filled city streets
Steals a taxi with an innocent woman inside
burning rubber burning burning
Screaming brakes and piercing sirens
Crashing back and forth from street to street to street
Ol’ lady gets out in the airport tunnel
road ripping her and breaking her and scattering her like
porcelain dolls dropped by a careless moving man
And demon finds another victim takes their
ride just a car jacking murdering fool he is

Grinning now faster faster 70
80 90 miles per hour
Trying to outrun the courage chasing him in black and white chariots
so close so close
And up ahead in the distance
Brave, brave Bobby
Laying out the spikes
Placing them just right
You know he kissed his wife
Held Dawn in his arms like comfort
She hoped like the others for safe returns
Of cops who work in this razor blade jungle
And Brave Bobby
Laying out the spikes
Thinking about stopping the innocent from a madman
Not having time to think about the Cleaveland Indians that he loves so much
Just thinking about the Job
The Job
Laying the Spikes
Stopping the Demon
And We all have a moment
Working in this mixed up insanity
Where time stands still for an instant
Photograph of forever drifting on soft lights downward
Bobby on the side of the road
Click
Nearing forever
Click
And the Demon
Capering and leering cuts the S.U.V. Into bobby like a Tank ramming an angel
Click
At forever
Bobby on stretcher
Dying light wringing out from behind his eyes
Juanita and Robert praying and praying
Hero cops Tim & Won helping to save him and capture the Demon
And snapshot forward
to a
Miracle
He lives
He lives
He lives
More and more and more Alive
In spite of Evil
In spite of pain
Like the beings who ran helter skelter into burning towers to save the innocent never to return
We feared Bobby was gone
Lost
Carried away into some other place far beyond his Wife and family and dogs and treasured Indians
In a place most never come back from
Just gone
But heroes never truly die
Some live on in memories
Ghosts of greatness traveling on unseen but very well felt currents
Others
When miracles happen
Survive
Like
Bobby
Hero
Warrior
Hero
Man
Hero
Husband
Hero
Son
Hero
Bobby
Who is here
With us now
And ready to move on

© 2001 Harry R. Fagel

Authors Note: This poem was written for Bobby Kintzel, a young Nevada Highway Patrolman who was hit by a murder suspect driving an SUV over 88 miles per hour as he attempted to lay spike strips down. Bobby received massive injuries and has not fully recovered to this day. The poem was written for a fund raiser for him, and was performed at The Orleans Showroom along with nuemrous other performers. The fundraiser was orchastrated by then Sergeant Randy Sutton of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police.