The Calling

**phoenixrose** · 12-12-06, 04:36 PM

As non-LEO, it's hard for me to step inside and understand what I see as--A Calling--from your perspective. Yet, with this poem, that is what I've tried to capture. Actually, it's a piece written for my current novel. In the story, the poem will be the work of a woman that is ex-LEO.

Just wondered if I came anywhere close to getting it right.

The Calling

You don’t ever see me cry,
I’m the steadfast one, never yielding to the fears.
I keep my emotions behind a mask—along with my tears.

You don’t hear the silent tirades,
Or know the unrelieved grief buried within.
For the cruelty, I can’t change—the impossible battles I can’t win.

You won’t question what you see,
Accepting the comfort of an impassive façade,
That keeps weaknesses trapped within—safe, behind a stoic guard.

You never look beyond the badge,
And realize, I'm every bit as vulnerable as you.
All you really want—is the helping hand that pulls you through.

You don’t dare acknowledge,
That I might not always be perfect, strong, and brave.
You don’t want to see the tears I weep—for the victims I can’t save.

You refuse to even imagine,
What it might cost me, when I stand and fight,
Knowing the measure of a good day—is going home to my family at night.

“Why, then,” you ask, “do you choose,
To walk a path that is forever lonely, and one apart,
Weighing every breath you draw—against the beating of your heart?”

How do I explain the passion,
That drives me back, day after trying day?
It colors not in black and white—but in endless shades of gray.

Who then, can fathom The Calling,
The destiny, and duty that make one whole?
Only the brothers and sisters—and those that share my soul.
.

**gozling** · 12-12-06, 04:53 PM

I adored this

**phoenixrose** · 12-12-06, 05:12 PM

Thanks, Gozling.
Well, I liked it...but I'm not LEO.
I guess I need to know if I've come anywhere close to capturing what you feel sometimes. Good or bad...just looking for some feedback. When non-LEO people read it, I want the emotions to come through...I want them to stop and THINK.

**Piggybank Cop** · 12-12-06, 05:18 PM

The short version:

Why is it that I as a cop am always running toward what everyone else is always running away from.

**phoenixrose** · 12-12-06, 05:26 PM

LOL

Shorter version....thanks.

**HardNoseBull** · 12-12-06, 05:43 PM

"The Creation of Peace Officers"
When the Lord was creating peace officers, he was into his sixth day of
overtime when an angel appeared and said,
"You're doing a lot of fiddling around on this one."

And the Lord said, "Have you read the spec on this order? A peace officer has
to be able to run five miles through alleys in the dark, scale walls, enter
homes the health inspector wouldn't touch, and not wrinkle his uniform.

"He has to be able to sit in an undercover car all day on a stakeout, cover a
homicide scene that night, canvass the neighborhood for witnesses,
and testify in court the next day.

"He has to be in top physical condition at all times, running on black coffee
and half-eaten meals. And he has to have six pairs of hands."

The angel shook her head slowly and said, "Six pairs of hands... no way."

"It's not the hands that are causing me problems," said the Lord, "it's the
three pairs of eyes an officer has to have."

"That's on the standard model?" asked the angel.

The Lord nodded. One pair that sees through a bulge in a pocket before he asks,
"May I see what's in there, sir?" (When he already knows and wishes he'd taken
that accounting job.) "Another pair here in the side of his head for his
partners' safety. And another pair of eyes here in front that can look
reassuringly at a bleeding victim and say, 'You'll be all right when he knows it isn't so."

"Lord," said the angel, touching his sleeve, "rest and work on this tomorrow."

"I can't," said the Lord, "I already have a model that can talk a 250 pound
drunk into a patrol car without incident and feed a family of five on a civil service paycheck."

The angel circled the model of the peace officer very slowly, "Can it think?" she asked.

"You bet," said the Lord. "It can tell you the elements of a hundred crimes;
recite Miranda warnings in its sleep; detain, investigate, search, and arrest
a gang member on the street in less time than it takes five learned judges to
debate the legality of the stop... and still it keeps its sense of humor.

This officer also has phenomenal personal control. He can deal with crime
scenes painted in hell, coax a confession from a child abuser, comfort a murder
victim's family, and then read in the daily paper how law enforcement isn't
sensitive to the rights of criminal suspects."

Finally, the angel bent over and ran her finger across the cheek of the peace
officer. "There's a leak," she pronounced. "I told you that you were trying to
put too much into this model."

"That's not a leak," said the lord, "it's a tear."

"What's the tear for?" asked the angel.

"It's for bottled-up emotions, for fallen comrades, for commitment to that
funny piece of cloth called the flag, for justice."

"You're a genius," said the angel.

The Lord looked somber. "I didn't put it there," he said.

Anonymous

**ninjamom** · 12-12-06, 06:51 PM

Hey Sis, I loved it. I can't wait until this one gets published!

**Lawdog32** · 12-12-06, 07:44 PM

I think you got really close with this and it is a fine piece of work.

Im gonna make my wife read it when she gets home.

**phoenixrose** · 12-12-06, 11:15 PM

Originally Posted by ninjamom

Hey Sis, I loved it. I can't wait until this one gets published!

Hey SIS! Good to see you here.
Thanks.
Yeah, this novel is harder for some strange reason...maybe because it's closer to my heart. It's taking more from me...I just hope I can do this right...that it give more, because of that.

Miss ya..my email's still working...just in case you were wondering.

Originally Posted by Lawdog32

I think you got really close with this and it is a fine piece of work.

Im gonna make my wife read it when she gets home.

Thank you, Lawdog.
Sometimes you write something, and it just FEELS right.
This one FELT right, but then again, I'm not the one that needs to measure its worth.
Your words mean a lot. Thanks.

**cajuncutie** · 12-12-06, 11:55 PM

Originally Posted by HardNoseBull

"The Creation of Peace Officers"
When the Lord was creating peace officers, he was into his sixth day of
overtime when an angel appeared and said,
"You're doing a lot of fiddling around on this one."

And the Lord said, "Have you read the spec on this order? A peace officer has
to be able to run five miles through alleys in the dark, scale walls, enter
homes the health inspector wouldn't touch, and not wrinkle his uniform.

"He has to be able to sit in an undercover car all day on a stakeout, cover a
homicide scene that night, canvass the neighborhood for witnesses,
and testify in court the next day.

"He has to be in top physical condition at all times, running on black coffee
and half-eaten meals. And he has to have six pairs of hands."

The angel shook her head slowly and said, "Six pairs of hands... no way."

"It's not the hands that are causing me problems," said the Lord, "it's the
three pairs of eyes an officer has to have."

"That's on the standard model?" asked the angel.

The Lord nodded. One pair that sees through a bulge in a pocket before he asks,
"May I see what's in there, sir?" (When he already knows and wishes he'd taken
that accounting job.) "Another pair here in the side of his head for his
partners' safety. And another pair of eyes here in front that can look
reassuringly at a bleeding victim and say, 'You'll be all right when he knows it isn't so."

"Lord," said the angel, touching his sleeve, "rest and work on this tomorrow."

"I can't," said the Lord, "I already have a model that can talk a 250 pound
drunk into a patrol car without incident and feed a family of five on a civil service paycheck."

The angel circled the model of the peace officer very slowly, "Can it think?" she asked.

"You bet," said the Lord. "It can tell you the elements of a hundred crimes;
recite Miranda warnings in its sleep; detain, investigate, search, and arrest
a gang member on the street in less time than it takes five learned judges to
debate the legality of the stop... and still it keeps its sense of humor.

This officer also has phenomenal personal control. He can deal with crime
scenes painted in hell, coax a confession from a child abuser, comfort a murder
victim's family, and then read in the daily paper how law enforcement isn't
sensitive to the rights of criminal suspects."

Finally, the angel bent over and ran her finger across the cheek of the peace
officer. "There's a leak," she pronounced. "I told you that you were trying to
put too much into this model."

"That's not a leak," said the lord, "it's a tear."

"What's the tear for?" asked the angel.

"It's for bottled-up emotions, for fallen comrades, for commitment to that
funny piece of cloth called the flag, for justice."

"You're a genius," said the angel.

The Lord looked somber. "I didn't put it there," he said.

Anonymous

Thank you for sharing this with us

**phoenixrose** · 12-13-06, 03:54 PM

I liked it, too, HNB.

You know, it might be fun to have a thread dedicated to PRO-LEO poems, short stories, etc. You see PLENTY of the negative stuff. It's really nice to see something like this once in awhile.

Then again, maybe you've already been there and done that on this site...and I just missed it.

Anyway...great post.