Tom Kenney | + Follow Poet |
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Feel Not Sorrow

Feel not sorrow on my behalf
As I slip into the past
For my greatest accomplishment
Is a legacy that will last

I've dedicated the bulk of my life
To the service of my neighbor
But I've been rewarded time and again
For the fruits of my labor

Long ago I decided to become
A member of the "brothers"
Not fully knowing at that time
That they were unlike all others

Firefighters share a brotherhood
Only we can understand
Helping keep death and loss at bay
Though woefully undermanned

I've seen many of my peers step up
Above and beyond the call
Risk their lives for perfect strangers
Their backs against the wall

Even after their acts of heroism
Have been acknowledged by their peers 
Still what remains as their bravest act
Is merely rising above their fears 

For merely signing up to do this job
Takes a special breed
It's the willingness to risk so much
That's their most heroic deed

It's their bravery and dedication
That sets them apart
This is what makes them true heroes
Whether called upon or not

So when I leave this job 'I'll' know
I've done the best I can
I won't need anyone else to know
For they couldn't understand

No one can do this work too long
It takes too much a toll
It's very much a young man's job
It slowly steals your soul

To toil longer in this vocation
Merely tempts fate
For body and spirit is broken down -
Has taken all it can take

So to walk away with no regrets
Is a gift unto itself
I can place my firefighting in the past
Place my tools upon the shelf

I'll always look back on these days
With fondness and affection
I may even long to do it again'
But I must choose a new direction

The same can be said when I die
Feel not sorrow for me
For I've lived a life as full as possible
Being all that I can be

When Saint Peter greets me at the gates
I'm sure he'll let me in
For as a fireman I've proven myself
Time and time again

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