Heroes in Four
By Cheryl Scheir
I.
I’m not really one for heroes
After a while, you see
so many
come and go
You see
public nobility
obstructing shadowy vices
rising in crisis
falling short in the day-to-day
seemingly giving all
in reality, an investment in one
II.
That is me, now--cynical, I guess
But even as a kid, I wasn’t one for heroes
Maybe because girls weren’t
perceived and portrayed
like they are
now
We’re in a better place
now
But we can, we will
go beyond
I hope
III.
Listen up, heroes in training
What do you need to do to get where you want to be?
It’s something like this—
Know your limitations
reflect
embrace
overcome
Get rest when you’re tired
Get up when you’re down
Get up and go
Be gracious in loss
Be humble in victory
Remember the right things
Forget the right things
Press on
Keep on pressing on
Keep on keeping on
Bring others along
Fight the good fight
for them
for you
Tenaciously defend
Strategically offend
Dig deep
Reach far
Stretch up, stretch out
but be careful not to
break
IV.
If you break, hero
and you might
Heal up
it’s ok
You’re no good to anybody on the sidelines
Except, you might be
if while you’re there
you take whatever piece of you is still
good
and reach out with
the story of you
the offering of understanding
the real
honest to goodness
you
That shared fellow feeling, alone
though far, far from alone
may just give
the power
the lift
necessary
to enable
flight