by
Marion Pellicano Ambrose
The Heart Beneath the Badge
He stands tall and strong, ready to act, ready to defend.
His mind alert, his eyes keen, he’s aware of every shadow, every movement around him.
His hand, ever ready at his holster, is just as ready to take the hand of the lost child, the distraught mother, the confused senior.
He can shout to a suspect and whisper to an accident victim, tackle a fleeing felon and cradle an abandoned baby.
The steel of his badge is cold and hard, but there is a heart beneath the badge.
He has a family of his own, and he carries their pictures in his shield case. He studies the pictures of the criminals he must find and take off the streets.
He risks his life at a domestic violence call, then he calls his wife, just to hear her voice.
He cuffs the gang members dealing drugs near the school. He coaches the basketball team to the championships.
The emblem on his shirt says “Police Officer”, but there is a heart beneath the badge.
The heart of a hero.
