Back in 1996, I challenged my English class to write a poem based on a disaster. While I can’t share theirs with you, I can share the one I wrote. The disaster I used was the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City on April 19, 1995. Little did I know an even worse disaster was only five years away on September 9, 2001.
“What a marvelous day,” she says with a grin,
Looking out her window, thrilled with her news as,
Second by second, life continues to tick
For the secretary at her desk, as the hands
On the bomb meet, in a lovers’ caress.
A hush. Time ceases to exist. The bomb lives,
Life ends. Humanity’s ultimate cruelty wins.
No baby for the young wife on the third floor,
No happiness, no regrets; love and laughter destroyed.
“Why?” scream the hearts of families, friends, and lovers
Of one they will never again see, hear, hold, or kiss.
The future, a lifetime of possibilities gone.
No warning, no reason. Amidst the debris of bricks and steel,
A husband left behind shudders, wishing for death,
Anything to ease the burden of facing destiny alone.
A shocked world sits in grim silence watching,
Held prisoner by the gruesome electronic screen,
Creature feeding on agony and despair,
Unfurling the outrage and sin.
And as the soul in purgatory gets its release,
Earth swallows the leavings.
Nothing more to see.
That’s the end of the poem and yet, for all those who have lost loved ones to terrorism, it’s just the beginning of long, lonely futures. Unlike writing a novel, a poem can capture one moment without worrying about the rules and conventions of writing.
Enjoy the coming week.
Living the Dream 