A firefighters gloves hold many things, From elderly arms to a kids broken swing, From the hands they shake and the backs they pat To the tiny claw marks of another freed cat

At 2am they are filled with chrome, From the DWI who was on her way home The equipment they use to roll back the dash, From the family of 6 she involved in a crash

The brush rakes in spring, wears the palms out When the wind does "90" to fill them with doubt The thumb of the glove wipes the sweat from the brow Of the face of the firefighter who mutters what now

They hold an inch and three quarters flowing one-seventy five So the ones going in can come back out alive, When the regulator goes there isn't too much, But the bypass valve that they eagerly clutch

The rescue equipment the ropes the C-collars The lives they save never measured in dollars Are the obvious things firefighters gloves hold Or so that is what I've always been told

But there are other things firefighters gloves touch These are the things that we all need so much They hold back the rage on that 3 am call They hold in the fear when your lost in a hall

They hold back the pity the agony and the sorrow They hold in the desire to do it tomorrow A glove is just a glove till it's on a firefighter Who work all day long just to pull an all-nighter

And into the fray they charge without fear At the sound of "help" they think they hear When firefighters hands go into the glove It's always a firefighter who fills it with love

Sometimes the sorrow is too much to bear and it seeps into the glove and burns deep "in there" Off comes the gloves when the call is done And into the pocket until the next run

The hands become lonely and cold for a bit And shake just a little thinking of it And they sit there so red eyed with their hands in their coats The tears come so fast that the furniture floats

They're not so brave now; their hands can't hide I guess it just means that there human inside And though some are paid and others are not The gloves feel the same when it's cold or it's hot

To someone your helping to just get along When you fill them with love, you always feel strong And so when I go on my final big ride I hope to have my gloves by my side

To show to St. Peter at that heavenly gate Cause as everyone knows, firefighters don't wait

Submitted by Lynn Walters Firefighter/Firefighters daughter
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