If you only knew the sensation of being jolted awake, 3a.m., time and time again. Until sleep no longer feels necessary to survive and your body and mind become numb.

If only you knew the weight of a wife as she crumbles to the floor as the policeman pronounces her husband dead. That weight has been carried upon the policeman's shoulders since that day. 

If only you knew the sound a mother makes as she watches her child slip away into enternal rest.

If only you knew how the wet grass feels on the policeman's knees as he hold the hand of a teenager trapped in a mangled vehicle with tears in their eyes telling them that it's going to be okay even when the policeman knows it's not.

If only you knew the hours and hours spent studying and spent in school only to be called names and belittled telling the policeman that he's uneducated.

If only you knew how broken the policeman feels every time he has to be present in yet another fellow officer's funeral.

If only you knew the love and dedication it takes to hold the line between order and chaos. 
 

And yet, we will still hold the line.