Two Kinds

by Chris Patterson

Like many words
in our mother tongue,
the word "hero"
conjures up more
than one image.

The first kind of hero
hears the roar of the
crowd as they win one
for the home team.

They receive standing
ovations for incredibly
moving performances.

They have thousands
of fresh, young faces
looking up to them
with eyes wide and
hearts open.

The other kind of hero
doesn't have an audience.

Their heroic actions take
place on the street, in
courtrooms, political prisons
or refugee camps.

It's not the multi-million
dollar contracts or the
commercial endorsements
that motivate them.

It's their convictions and
principals that inspire them to
fight for the lives and rights
of others at great personal
risk.

When you strip away the
costumes, uniforms, and
glamour of the first hero,
the humanity revealed
seems small in comparison.

While the second hero
wears their humanity
draped across their
shoulders like a cape
unfurled in the wind.

You may never know
their names,
but you can see how
the world has changed
because of them.

To be the first kind
of hero, you have to
have an innate talent.

To be the second kind
of hero, all you need is to
find the courage within.

If not for fear, we could all be heroes.

The Author

I was born in Elmira, New York and moved around to all the hot spots of the automobile industry growing up. After graduating from Michigan State University, I worked in Chicago as a writer/producer and director of local television and radio commercials and marketing videos for local companies. In 1995, I opened a bagel shop in Hilton Head, South Carolina. When that closed in 1999, I went to work for Walt Disney Company. I currently am a training facilitator at the Disney Reservation Center. I enjoy writing poetry, especially for my family and friends. You can find me on Live Journal as cap_killer.