Calling all police poets! Police1’s poetry column highlights some of the inspirational, moving and funny poems authored by our readers.
Chief Ramon D. Gonzalez, a Marine Corps veteran who has spent 19 years in law enforcement and now leads the La Joya (Texas) Police Department, offers a poem for the officers who spend Thanksgiving on patrol instead of at home. Written with the perspective of a parent leaving the warmth of family for the demands of duty, it speaks to the emotional weight many carry as they protect their communities during the holidays.
Email your original poem for consideration to editor@police1.com.
Thanksgiving Through the Window
Written by Chief Ramon D. Gonzalez
I heard them laughing as I left,
Our Thanksgiving warm and blessed.
I lingered quietly at the door,
Pretending I didn’t ache for more.
My children tugged my uniform,
Their tiny hands so soft and warm.
“Do you really have to go tonight?”
Her voice was small, her hold was tight.
My son stood brave beside her there,
With Thanksgiving smells still in the air.
But when I knelt, he looked away,
He hates when I’m gone on holidays.
I hugged them both a little more,
Wishing time could stretch once more,
Before the radio clipped to my vest
Pulled me away from what I love best.
Outside, the world felt cold and dim,
Thanksgiving fading on a whim.
Each passing home glowed gold and bright,
Their windows spilling Thanksgiving light.
I drove through neighborhoods full of cheer,
Where families gathered year to year.
Every warm home I rolled past
Pressed on a heartbeat beating fast.
I missed the stories, the playful fights,
The kids’ excitement reaching heights,
The clinking plates, the pumpkin pie,
With all the little things that drift by.
But still I go, shift after shift,
Because safety is my silent gift,
To strangers safe in candlelight,
While I keep watch throughout the night.
And when this long shift finally ends,
I’ll head back home to my two little friends,
Hoping they know, without my say,
Why I was gone this Thanksgiving day.
Maybe someday they’ll understand
The weight I carry when I stand
Between danger’s breath and the lives they live,
Between what I must take and what I will give.
So if your Thanksgiving feels complete,
If warmth surrounds you deep and sweet,
Remember someone’s out here too,
Doing what they must to guard you.
And though I’m far from where I yearn to be,
My children’s love still anchors me.
Every holiday I spend apart
Travels with me, burned deep in my heart.
