my heart was scorched
by 9/11
when all hope
flickered & almost
died.
mine is a soul
turned inside-out.
it is shocked. it is
sobbing. it is
mourning. it is
performing luminous
acts of prayer.
it is seeking to
understand the why
of tragedy.
it converses with
the minds of peace
& the intellects of war.
it lifts & weighs &
sifts the crematorium
dust.
it wishes to be
honest with itself
& it wills to
share.
it is a stuttering
expression of spirit
in a time of pain.
it is a stick
scratching the sand
to leave, at least,
some mark.
it is a prayer
whispered into the
child’s ear of the
future
believing that
humans can & will yet
learn
from such disaster;
that they can & will
cherish
this touchstone of
a heart &
these seeds
of necessary peace
so lovingly sown
in this now of rage &
madness.