Medical workers aid injured people at the finish line of the 2013 Boston Marathon following an explosion in Boston, Monday, April 15, 2013. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

No act of hate or malice
can still the hearts
of those who test themselves
to find what strength lies within
and what courage they possess

Tomorrow we will see black cars
carry the fallen
in slow procession
and feel the strength drain
from our limbs
as we hit the wall
that separates us

All who run
afoot, or in life’s race
will hit a wall
beyond which they cannot
run on
and still they do

Years from now we will watch
a runner cross the finish
on prosthetic legs
And know that this tragedy
did not offer defeat
nor take from them victory
or diminish their spirit
or ours