In the Quiet After

After the sirens fade,
A heavy silence fills the air,
For those who stood when duty called
And gave a life of courage there.

There was no promise of return,
Only the weight of what must be done,
Stepping forward at the hardest hour
While others turned away to run.

Now their badges rest, and flags are still,
Their names are spoken soft and clear,
Not only carved in grief and stone,
Remembered now and coming years.

Their homes now are forever changed,
Families left with memory and prayer,
We all pause, with heads bowed low,
To honour those no longer there.

And though their watch has ended now,
Their service does not pass away—
It lives in memory, love, and duty,
And in the light of every day.