Boston Aftermath – Boats to Build
By John Urban
(Customs Tower – City of Boston, Massachusetts)
With the click of the remote control, CNN and the national networks made it clear that the whole country was watching what was playing out in Boston neighborhoods last week. Any one of these events – the marathon bombing, mourning for the victims, the shootouts, the capture – was a vivid reminder of how lives can be changed forever without notice or reason.
Resilience was one of the first words to emerge following the attack, a theme articulated more bluntly by Red Sox baseball star David Ortiz when he reminded everyone that this is our city.
From the outset, a region better known for its chilly persona was revealed by its humanity as police officers, volunteers, doctors, nurses, and EMTs rushed to help others. As remarkably, politicians stepped back and followed the guidance of federal investigators and the local citizenry followed. It’s been some time since the public had faith in its government, even longer since that faith was so well-earned.
The events of the Boston Marathon Bombing are far from over, especially for the victims and countless others who were near the blasts or the manhunt that followed. Media overload will seep into our lives and as a society we struggle to find a new balance in life. Resilience may be in our character, but it will have no virtue if we succumb to a mindset that veers us towards becoming combatants ourselves. At the same time, we would be naive if we let our daily lives become blindly shielded from the realities that this event forced into our view.
I suspect, though, that this past week’s events were vivid enough not to be ignored or forgotten. My sense is that diversions which help us return to normalcy are welcome and healthy.
Some of us will spend time in boatyards, sanding and painting hulls in preparation for the coming season. Others will be at our desks, writing of worlds more distant than the one that was so harsh as to take the lives and futures of the innocent. Others among us – despite any proximity to Boston – will sit by the water, perhaps listening to music, maybe even Guy Clark’s tune Boats to Build.
Sails are just like wings
The wind can make em sing
Songs of life, songs of hope
Songs to keep your dreams afloat
I’m gonna build me a boat
With these two hands
She’ll be a fair curve
From a noble plan
Let the chips fall where they will
Cause I’ve got boats to build
Shores distant shores
There’s where I’m headed for
I got the stars to guide my way
Sail into the light of day
I’m gonna build me a boat
With these two hands
She’ll be a fair curve
From a noble plan
Let the chips fall where they will
Cause I’ve got boats to build
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