9/11: Suburban Lessons
by
James Shammas
(Age: 44)
copyright 02-03-2006
Age Rating: 18 to 127
It was an emblem, but for whom?
Seen from a hill in New Jersey,
It was just a curiosity;
They had already fallen, leaving
A puff of smoke on the horizon.
It could have been anything:
An oil spill, a bonfire, fireworks
On the Fourth of July. We watched
With the same dumb indifference,
Beers in our hands, shouting "Holy shit!"
It took four years of living to see them:
Our fellow citizens and friends,
Neighbors who lived and commuted
From the very spot from which we stood--
Running and screaming, covered in ash.
Behind unseen faces were the decisions
They made: to carry the weight or put it down,
To act with choice in the midst of chaos,
In a paradoxical peace, an infinite space.
Can we learn from them? It's been four long years:
Your wife's since left, the job still sucks,
You've both been to rehab,
The cat keeps pissing on your shoes.
Still seems like play, foul or fair,
Like something seen on Dr. Phil or CNN,
Close, yet clear and deceptively far,
Your precious ball all up in smoke,
You, still standing,
Wondering what the fuck to do.
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We the people, did the only thing we could do, present a united front, suck up our greif from the rest of the world, denied any wrong, as we stand in disbelief, and swear revenge above all else, and hope justive prevails, when all else fails, vow to never forget, God is forgiving but America's not. And as the rest of the world knows we've never forgot. They must be punished, they must get what they deserve, and we won't rest until justice is served. Great write, good job, thank you very inspiring
Very poignant; 911 had so many different effects on all of us, none good, I'm sure. It seems like ancient history now, and life goes on. But let us never forget.
I submitted a poem called "The Day The World Stopped", telling how 911 affected my life and especially my work life (I was in the travel industry at the time).
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