The Few - The Bold

Under the ocean, the earth gave a few groans;

In a blink Japan suffered, lost families and homes.

Stark slabs of cement marked where a village should be;

Now nothing was left; all claimed by the sea.

The world looked disbelieving at the damage been done;

Not knowing that the battle for some just begun.

In a facility backed by safeties one, two and three;

The game was now changed by the might of the sea.

Everything failed, even systems most reliant;

Awakening into the world, a fiery nuclear giant.

It couldn’t happen; no, they’d done everything right;

And yet there it was, the glow growing in the night.

While the rest of the world watched a tsunami unleashed;

Engineers worked frantically to contain the freed beast.

The radiation was climbing to levels untold;

But men stayed and fought, the Few – the Bold

They did what they must, their eyes open wide;

They confronted the beast, but not out of pride.

It was their duty, their job, to step up to this plate;

This was their beast; this battle, their fate.

One texted his wife, “Live your life well;

I’ll be here a while.” Then he turned to face hell.

Every moment of stay, chopped years from a life;

He fought in the dark.  He fought for his wife.

The price, it is high, but so are the stakes;

The very demon of hell is rattling their gates.

Only much later, the battle hours old;

Did the world learn about them; the Few – the Bold.

There were fifty in all, each life chose to give;

To fight and to die so that others may live.

To them they were only, doing that which must be done;

All had suffered loss in the land o’ rising sun.

They fought on for days; they fought through the nights;

They fought the hot beast; they fought the fight of all fights.

They fought in the dark, knowing they might never see home;

And as the world watched in awe, fifty fought on alone

Wearing protective suits, they fought with one goal;

But in spite of precautions, the radiation took its toll.

Their death might come slow, or it may be mercifully fast;

But when it does come, fifty flags then fly, each at half mast.

The outcome unclear as this story is told;

But now is the time to remember the Few – the Bold

A world stands united in thought and in prayer;

Letting the fifty know they’re not along – we know that they’re there.

Songs will be sung and our memories will be kind;

To the great ones that lead the way, for those left behind.

Yes, we're left behind by men, that will never grow old;

Left behind by our heroes, the Few – the Bold.