Once I Think I Met a Hero

Once I think I met a hero
And he was spectacular
The things he did, and said, and thought
Made me come out of something I didn’t know surrounded me
Courage, strength, vulnerability
Stopped being just words
But I started to feel them
Instead of just think them
Life became adventure
Instead of just a journey
And everything I’ve ever known looked different

But then I met that same hero
And he was dark
And he was down
And the golden words I so wanted to hear I knew couldn’t come
Out of a broken mouth
On a broken face
On the broken thing in front of me
And even though he was there
The hero was gone

The third time he was standing
And half a smile was there
Not bursting like before
But sure and solid
There was something in the way he held his shoulders that told me there was something
different
But different can be good
Because after all, can you really get up
If you haven’t fallen down?
Because now
Since it all happened
I know for sure that
Once I met a hero
_________________________

Levi Judson Harris is from southern Colorado, and grew up with eleven siblings on a farm. “Milking cows and thinking were my two main activities. I have been writing since eight . . . I’m much happier when I’m putting words together.” Levi is presently studying English, education, theatre, and film at BYU. “I wrote this poem about the convergence of the under hero with the outer self. True convergence with oneself lies in accepting failures and weaknesses, but also in realizing we are strong enough to rise above them in the end. I have really met this hero many times . . . Enjoy!” – Levi