(Based on the events of September 11th)

As he stood
watching the madness,
Friends ran past
crying with sadness.
He pushed past as they ran by,
knowing what he had to do.
They knew his mission and began to cry,
"You will surely die too!"
But he refused to turn back,
as guilt tore at his heart.
He escaped, others lay burning,
Their bodies ripped apart.
He would never forgive himself
if he left them in there
Dying in such pain,
in such despair.

He tried to ignore the fear
building in his mind,
He was scared of fires
and had been since he was nine.
Looking for anyone needing his assistance,
He prayed to God above
Give him strength to fulfill his mission;
Let his wife know his love.
First came screams of helpless women.
Trapped in an elevator.
Unable to escape.
After he pried the doors open,
they hugged him fiercely,
clinging to him like tape.
Next, an older man.
His leg was broken,
as was his nose.
Burns covered his elderly body,
from his head to his toes.
Hero picked him up gently,
carried him down the stairs.
The man thanked him kindly
and said Hero was in his prayers.
Hero nodded his thanks
before turning to leave.
He got the man out alive.
His body went weak with relief.
But it was only for a moment.
Hero had no time to waste.
He moved rather swiftly
to make up for his haste.

Back to climbing the stairs,
jumping them three at a time.
Hero found a young woman
scared out of her mind.
Crouched under a desk,
she laid on the floor.
He knelt beside her
as she cursed and swore.
He asked her age,
hoping to make her calm.
She answered twenty,
And cried out for Mom.
He pulled her out
from under the desk,
saw her back
was burnt and grotesque.
Gingerly, Hero lifted her,
held her in his arms.
Her cries esculated
Hero winced for causing her harm.
He did everything:
whispering in her ear;
Trying not to touch her burns
And trying to soothe her fears.

Hero eyes were beginning to tear,
when a fire fighter suddenly appeared.
Through the dark smoke,
the man stopped to stare.
He seemed quite surprised
when Hero handed him the girl,
her body shaking with hopeless cries.
"Thank you!" she whispered to Hero.
He couldn't help but smile.
"You are a great man," said the fire fighter.
Hero replied, "Just take care of the child!"

Up three more floors,
and the building began to shake.
He fell to all fours,
riding out the quake.
His wife's sweet face
flew into his head.
His heart immediately
filled with dread.
The floor fell beneath him.
Iron burnt his neck.
At least he'd saved others
before plummeting in that horrible wreck.

Two weeks later,
his wife stood staring
at ground zero.
Her heart breaking
thinking of her husband,
the brave Hero.
In his last moments,
he confronted his deepest fears.
And that was enough
to hold off her tears.
She was proud of her husband.
He went back for those who were weaker.

He wasn't one of those who ran.
He was a hero, no ordinary man.