Do you understand what it means
To lay your life down for a friend?
To sacrifice, and not think twice,
About the way the story ends.

To be a rock of true intentions,
Fearless as you face the fire…
Racing in to save the helpless,
As the flames are reaching higher.

When the blackness of the darkness,
Like a bottle in the smoke
Eyes adjust by course of instinct,
Never faulted, never choke

Time constricts to second nature,
Moving forward, never stopping…
Listening for the sound of voices,
Cracking floorboards, ceilings dropping.

There’s no time for second-guessing,
Pressure is your saving grace…
Heartbeats pumping, water flowing,
Sweat is covering your face.

Take your mask off, hang your coat,
The scent of ash clings to your skin…
Head back to the fire station,
Riding on adrenaline.

Now that moment fades to memory,
Terror rears its head, then rests…
Kiss your wife and hug your children,
With a feeling you are blessed.

The boundaries of life and death,
Between, he walks a razor’s line…
Keeping horror in perspective,
Appearances (he’s doing fine)

And then one day out of the blue,
You get the news, a brother falls
You never saw the warning signs
Until you finally got the call.

For with the heart, we have no fear,
But eyes record the present pain,
We can’t un-see a tragedy,
We can’t unwind the day’s remains.

In pockets full of memory holes,
They place the crimson with the beige,
But something’s always bleeding out…
Like inky soot upon a page.

Boredom interspersed with terror,
Blood, and water flow as one…
Sacrifice, it has no price,
But destiny, when the day is done.

His shift has ended once again,
The scenes still play inside his mind…
The days are evil, have you heard?
While striving to redeem the times.

Now moments fade from now to then,
As sorrow rears its head, then rests.
You kiss the wife and hug your children,
With a feeling you are blessed.

TM DiSarro
_____________________________
©2026 TM DiSarro / MindScapes Publishing

From New Book 5 Arriving August 11th