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Grateful to Robert for sharing the following reflection.
refractions of 9/11
i
ten years of grief
without tears
ii
what passed through the minds
of the passengers?
the terrorists?
when the shadow
pierced the light
iii
how could anyone
with a human heart
do this?
iv
the towers were tall––
i could see them
all the way
from my childhood
v
the sky on the first
day of creation
could not have been bluer
than this
vi
the second plane
screamed over the building tops
at full thrust––
to puncture the south tower
soundlessly
vii
where’s george? where’s mary?
where’s tom? our hearts are searching
for their souls
viii
the magnets of fate
kept some at home;
made others late for work.
some were given a chance
to run––
others not
ix
national solidarity lasted
a week––
global empathy
was interdicted within hours––
conscience never stirred
x
the un-reversible force
of a rising tide––
new yorkers met the tragedy––
brother with sister with brother
hand in hand
xi
conspiracy theories abound––
who assured us the chalky air
was safe to breathe?
did the u.s. government expect/
allow the attacks?
why was wtc 7 the first iron-
frame structure in history
ever to implode
from fire?
questions buried answers
in the sterile grey ash
xii
a decade’s worth of
crematorium dust in the
apartment––
a lifetime’s share
choking the heart &
lung
xiii
a catastrophe
only finds its end when the last
promise never to forget
is forgotten