We Used to Have Heroes

I encountered a profound question from Charles Mashburn that struck a major chord in Awakenings: Where have all the heroes gone? Since his website, Marbles in My Pocket, is a wordpress site and this one is powered by blogspot, I did not have the capability to simply reblog his post. Therefore, with his permission, the poem for today is presented for you to peruse below.

We Used to Have Heroes

They rode horses, wore white hats

Fought for what they believed was right

And ran the bad guys out of town

They looked out for their neighbors

Those who couldn’t defend themselves

When I was six, I was the Lone Ranger

And at the same time Superman

Ever ready to stand against anyone or anything

That dared to come against

Truth, justice, and the American way

When I was eight, I was Paladin

A black hat this time, and more rugged

But a hero still, who righted wrongs

And would go anywhere

To correct injustice and defend the defenseless

When I was ten, I was John Wayne

I learned to walk like him

Tried to make my voice deep like his

And hoped I’d grow to be tall, broad shouldered and brave

But mostly, I wanted to be a good man

A superb man, a combination of all of them

Those heroes who cared little for themselves

But lived for what they could do for others

Yes, it was just television

And all my heroes were make-believe

But they made me believe and they taught me

About right and wrong, and so many things

Where have all the heroes gone?

Who do we turn to now?

What is truth, or justice?

And, what is the American way?

My heroes stood proud and tall

Hands on their hips, ready to fight

For a way of life and a country they loved

Even though it was flawed in so many ways

I love my country

But it is a love like one has for a dying loved one

And I watch her now, slumbering in drugged apathy

Gurgling immorality, indecency, and corruption

Like a death rattle in cancer-ridden lungs

Atop her aged trembling hand, I place my own

And I ache within, realizing even should she survive

A mere shadowy skeleton of what she once was

Is all that will remain

I think back on those days of yesteryear

Days when this country stood strong and proud

And I see her slowly succumbing to darkness

With no heroes to swoop to her rescue

I stare at the floor… and silently, I weep

Copyright © 2012 C. Mashburn

A fiery horse with the speed of light, a cloud of dust, and a hearty ...
'Hi-yo Silver Away!' The Lone Ranger!

Paladin, Paladin, where do you roam?
Paladin, Paladin, far, far from home…
Have Gun, Will Travel reads the card of a man:
a knight without armour in a savage land.

(on America) I can tell you why I love her. I have a lust for her dignity.
I look at her wonderfully classic face, and I see hidden in it a sense of humor that I love.
I think of wonderful, exciting, decent things when I look at her . . .

Thank you, Charles, for an endearing tribute to some of America's true heroes of ages past. But, all is not lost, my dear friend, for America is filled with its heroes and heroic accounts that overcome dark hours of despair. Let us pay tribute to all that defend, protect and honor America for without them all would indeed be lost.

Charles Mashburn, the Author
All readers are encuraged to visit Marbles in My Pocket where Charles shares poems, short stories, and random thoughts. He is the author of Be Still: ...and know that I am God which is a book of daily devotionals.

Which of these iconic heroes do you remember?
Who are your heroes of today?