September 11, 2001
is a square among squares
on a calendar of expectation
& recorded time
for Americans, a day
of anguish
for al Qaeda,
an unimagined
gift
was the will of Allah
with their prayers
that day?
that date
torn from the calendar
for safe-keeping
boxed into a cube
& the cube drown
in airless acrylic
to lock out time
& any possibility
of change
the towers stand––
they are struck––
they burn & implode––
the victims are trapped
in choking fire––
the televisions repeat––
the tower, the plane, the
horrific flash of hellacious
pain––
over & over & mercilessly
over again
there is no beginning
& no end to suffering
trapped in limbo
for all to
fear
the implied imperative
is to remember––
the spectacular
moment
of cataclysm
to swallow
the anguish of others
whole
how little we learn
from history
& from scalding emotions
that do not educate
the heart
out of an evil cause
an ill effect––
leaving the world
heartless & burning
out of the blood of
loved ones––
gushes the blood
of the loved ones
of others
there is
& will never be
a sufficient reason
to hate
your brother
September 11, 2001
is a day
like all days––
let it waft its way
to nowhere
like a leaf in the wind
like its sister days
& like all wounds,
may it patiently drain
of sorrow
& slowly & lovingly
heal
until it is perfectly
forgotten