Pointing Skyward

I want to know where all the protagonists go,
After the curtains close, after the last page is turned,
After the story ends.

Do they continue their journey?
Do they sustain their glorious acts?

Or, like so many, do they revert back
To the vices and habits and mindsets
That started the story
In the first place?

How many of our favorite heroes,
Fall back down to earth,
Once again?

I’d like to think there’s an organization,
Funded by the world’s most generous donors,
To make sure the protagonists stay
On track, stay sober, stay with their
Newborn children and pregnant partners,
Stay with us.

I’ll call the organization: the Protagonist Protection Program,
Or the PPP, for short.

It’s the sworn duty of the agency
To keep tabs on our most beloved champions.
To keep up with demand, only the most devout,
Talented, driven applicants would make it through
The rigorous examination process.

Each PPP agent would only handle
A very select caseload, to ensure
Their attention, expertise, and energy
Was undivided, untorn.

I imagine some clients, heroes, will be more
Difficult to work with than others.

Some protagonists will fight
Tooth and nail, explaining to their assigned
PPP agent that the writer got him, and the story,
Wrong. That his love interest was not his true
Love, and she was better off without him.

In these situations, the PPP agent would act valiantly,
And burn the midnight oil to creatively and effectively
Remind the protagonist of their newfound courage,
Their undying love, their unique gifts they hid
So long from the world.

Insurmountable stakes and unbridled tensions
Would rise. But, in the end, the PPP would once
Again emerge victorious, safeguarding the heroes
we all know and love,

keeping lines unblurred,
legends protected,
hands raised
and humanity pointing skyward.