Letter: Tribute to the press

Read this letter, in poetry form, in response to the tragedy in France.
Strange
How you and I take for granted
The most precious things that are always there.
The sunrise—the sunset
Another would think we hardly care.
No, we certainly do not give them
The respect and recognition due;
Though they offer each of us
Day after day an inspiring view.
There are people among us
We take for granted, too;
Our local editor and publisher, Jeff Mitchell; and Kollin Kosmicki, Emanuel Lee and Katie Helland to name a few …
Ask yourself,
“Without The Free Lance, what would you do?”
Well, the People of France
Are heartbroken today.
Their courageous satirist and publisher,
Charlie Hebdo, has been taken away.
Charlie gave his life for this:
Freedom of Expression and Freedom of the Press.
Once again the world has learned
A lesson it has learned many times before –
Sometimes the bravest and most courageous among us
Are those who dare to publish what they write and draw.
Vive Charlie Hebdo! Vive La France! Vive La Liberte de La Presse!
Brian O’Donavan, Madera