September 11, 2006
A Memorial

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A teen remembers... a child then
Running
Stepping over things he shouldn't see
Running
His mother's hand... the firefighters
Running
He looked back... the cloud coming at them
Haunted
"I got to live...thousands of others didn't"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


The starkness of the reflecting pool
isolated on the huge concrete landscape
A lone wreath
floats there

The black river of people flowing slowly, slowly
Wanting to pull away
from the memory but
drawn toward it

A single rose dropped into the pool,
a memory dropped in the water
a loved one,
a life

The litany of names over the loud speaker goes
on and on and on
Name after name after name.
Could there be that many?

The line of people trails past the pool each pausing
for a moment
More flowers drop,
more names spoken

A mound of fragrant roses
piled high
A tower of
endless love

The names being read
go on and on and on
and...
life goes on
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A firefighter was trapped that day
and prayed
He felt God's presence
in that dark hole
Escaped death that day
but more,
Gained life
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Flags at half staff
Haunting music
Flowers floating
in a reflecting pool
People in sorrow gathered
to find communion

Find rest O my soul
For God is our refuge
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

An Interview

He was off duty but went back
They'd need his 20 years of
experience. It meant nothing
He wasn't prepared
for this. They went in
Knowing they might not come back

How could you do it? he was asked
How could you not? he replied
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

An Interview

She was there
She made it out
Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome
Lost her job
Lost her home

Survivor's guilt
She couldn't work
She couldn't mother
A distant relative took her family in
That's love

Pity
Anger
Pain
Guilt
She let it go

I want to live and love
As hard as I can
I want to take
That extra step

Faith was her salvation
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Floating down like snow
Piles of paper everywhere
Scattering like leaves at
The running feet of hundreds

Paper everywhere
That only the day before
Had seemed to be
So important
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Never Forget.