There are stunning poems up on the Huff Post here— the article is very good.
Angel
.
I hear your voice. I reach for you then
You crawling along the floor, coughing,
While the operator
Says, “Calm down. Calm down.”
.
“I can’t see,” you whisper. “Where are they…”
“Coming, coming,” she says.– you answer:
“It’s hot. Hot. I’m so hot.”
.
Your voice trailing away; the crackle and roar
In the receiver
.
I watch birds, sudden tumbling human eagles,
arms outstretched
From on high, stilled, like Christ
Crucified, those arms out,
Tears streaming back to air
float down, somersault down,
Snag on metal, tear free, fall
Land:
.
Thud of sacks of autumn corn
Thrown on the back of the truck—
.
No. Look away. Run.
The sound of humming angels.
Cries of the lost. Smoke.
A fireman in a stairwell looking
at a camera, people
Who look like everyone
.
I reach for you. I want
To know your name.
My hand, your hand,
.
Your mouth an O of gratitude
your hair
caressed by fire.
.
This is beautiful. Thank you for sharing this with all of us.
I can not put words together such as these, but I chose to honor the day through my artwork. Its on my blog, if you care to look.
http://midwesternmamah.blogspot.com/2010/09/september-11-2001.html
Lovely poem. Here is mine to commemorate the day (I was teaching at the Pentagon during 9/11):
Spaces
By Miriam Ruff
I resented her
That woman —
I never learned her name —
Who every morning
No matter how early
Or how late I’d come
Would steal the last remaining spot
In the immense garage
And who
Without so much as an acknowledgment
Of the damage she’d done
To my sense of pride and fair play
Would set her car alarm
Turn and power her way into work
It became my fervent wish
My mission, if you will
To see if once
Just once
I could be the one
To seize the day
And claim the prize
Leaving her circling like some hungry buzzard
Around its not-yet-dead kill
But beware, they say . . .
Somehow the news itself
Though heard a thousand times
Seemed too distant,
too remote to be real
But early on that next,
September day
Arriving late
I knew —
My wish had come horribly
True.
The woman was not there
And wouldn’t ever be again.
There were few cars, in fact
Less people
Just row after row
Of empty spaces
An abyss
Overflowing with grief
I hurried to the exit
And parked my car
Down the street
Very powerful– thanks for posting. There’s a thread on Huff Post today for poems– I found it via a search– sorry I don’t have link on hand..all best to you– xJenne’
A stunningly moving poem – thank you for posting it…
I flew in to Connecticut from San Francisco today (well technically yesterday as it’s 3 A.M. on the 12th). My flight was safe. People were happy. The air was light as if the souls of those others were lifting us up.
so you’re up quite late, yes? Glad to hear you’re back safely. Universe has enough angels for now…love, j
Please visit award-winning, published writer Jenne’ Andrews ‘ new WordPress blog at http://www.loquaciouslyyours.com . Click the “comment” link at the bottom of any post, and sign up to receive an e-mail flash of new content.