Bring in the Heroes

John Fitzgerald Kennedy. Martin Luther King.
Scarcely dare we breathe their names.
Sing, broken heart, sing!
Those who eschew prayer kneel and pray.
Cannot help but ache for other lost lights.
Joan of Arc, Mahatma Gandhi, Abraham Lincoln,
Mother Theresa, Sojourner Truth. Fly
back, fly back. Tell us we can hope again.
Eleanor as much as FDR. 911 martyrs.
More are out there. Show yourselves!
Dare to risk sun, moon, and stars.
Help wanted: long hours, no pay, get hell.
Who has the guts and the staying power?
Might it be one of us? All together now. . .

©Phyllis Jean Green
Published in Above and Beyond by Pudding House, 2007.