By Bob Houghtaling
We have heard the term ‘it’s not a sprint, it’s a marathon’ used on many occasions. The 2013 Boston Marathon serves as the most salient example for a number of reasons.
Boston
The ghosts of Crispus Attucks,
Samuel Adams and Paul Revere,
waited at the finish line
to offer friends good cheer.
Then smoke and explosions,
like the shells of the past,
fell hard upon the very souls
who were finishing at the last.
Brave Minuteman in uniform
rushed to where the sounds
sent scores of the innocent
hurt and to the ground.
Those who created tumult
avoiding to get caught
continued a reign of terror
which ended up for naught.
But when the dust was settled
this beautiful Boston place
maintained its Constitution
and once again did grace
thousands to the Freedom Trail
and the top of Bunker Hill,
back again to Fenway Park
where “The Splinter” showed his skill.
The memories of the fallen
will be foremost in our mind,
as will the many efforts
of helpers being kind.
The Hub is a special town
that speaks to our hearts.
It’s met many struggles before
yet never came apart.
Orr’s now singing Diamond
as are Russell, Samuelson and Tarzan Brown.
They all cheer the Patriots
who’ve traveled sacred ground.
Come again to next year’s race,
thousands in a throng.
“Please Come to Boston”
like it says so in a song.
Time can produce many changes. Landscapes are altered, people age and events become things sometimes forgotten. But what of courage, love and resilience? While the measures of time move inexorably forward, these will hold true at least as long as our species resides on this planet. On a day in April folks from around the world came to celebrate sport. History will show that much more was on display in an old New England Town. Boston, forever “the city on a hill.”
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