Bursting Light, In memory~9/11 Options

[Aphrodite]

As morning's perfection introduces hope for the day,
foreboding evil lurks in the wings.
Unaffected, they forge through
steadily embracing adventure of flight,
gliding forcefully;
ghostly terror unfolds.

Within cherished seconds;
symbolization of Red, White, and Blue
explodes a profusion of oranges and reds,
while life's evanescent fragments scatter
against a crisp panorama-
fire bursting bright.

Surreal horror unfolds, as
searing buildings slowly collapse,
smoky rubble of destruction
gently cascades down,
                                down,
                                                                                             
                                         down...

Billowing haze engulfs the city
revealing a haunting, raven cloud;
the Melting Pot transforms into
imposing chaos.

Days pass, bewildered divulgence of ghostly reality
envelops helpless hearts as
quiet spectators observe
hellish images scorching distressed brains,
unraveling demonic atrocities.

Digesting unpredictable horror
layered with insurmountable pain;
with inconceivable tragedy
eventuating our world,
evil boldly confessing truth.

Void of fathomable words to conceptualize cold calculated abhorrence,
troubled hearts grasp numbing anesthetics
leaving desperation,
drawn from utter unacceptance.

Forever in our hearts and memories....

[Guest_Jox_*]

Hi Lindi,

You poem seems to concentrate all the contradictory feelings into one work; well done.

I was in a school reception office working on their computers on a pleasant September afternoon when the news was given to us by a delivery driver (who had heard it on his van’s radio). At first it meant very little to me...

“Have you heard - terrorists have attacked the World Trade Centre in New York.”

We are used, here, to buildings being bombed by Irish terrorists (it has been happening for nearly one hundred years). Moreover, at the time I couldn’t say I knew anything about the WTC. Indeed, I actually thought it in Chicago - so I was confused by the NY reference. (You see, I just remembered it for being one of the World’s tallest buildings, twin-towered and having been targeted by terrorists before).

Driving home, listing to my car radio, the reports coming in were like something out of science fiction (they still are). Arriving home, I switched on the television and both the BBC and ITV (Independent Television) had full coverage. Then, of course, I saw video of the aircraft striking.

I do not remember JFK being assassinated - though I was listening to the news media shortly afterwards; I suppose I registered no special meaning. However, even though the initial news of the Nine-Eleven attacks meant little to me, hearing the radio news a couple of hours later then seeing the video images has impregnated that van driver’s first message on my mind.

As I have said elsewhere on MM, though comparatively few compared to Americans, the day of 11th September 2001 also meant the heaviest British losses in a single terrorist attack. Many of those losses were from a fifty mile radius of here and so, as the weeks passed, the very real tales of horror and bravery unfolded and, in a strange way, almost seemed local.

Thanks, again for your poem,

Jox.