nine eleven
i am sorry if it opens old wounds.
photo by lauramusikanski
image from morguefile.com
nine eleven
i
up above
in a canvas
of sun-laced clouds
a jetliner trailing thunder
ii
my neighbour
sounded almost apologetic
the towers had fallen he said
collapsed
to a heap of dust
iii
maybe he wanted
to tell me that
it was not him
or his religion
that pulled
the trigger
iv
we waited for the lift
smoked our cigarettes
wondering if a tragedy
half a world away
will change our lives
v
up above
a black dome of sky
the strobe lights of a jetliner
chasing the stars
vi
jetliners will never look the same again.
various dates, sept 2008
a wee editing, sept 2019
********************
[] []
us
__________
them
-- dsnake1, The Height of Haiku Challenge - Day 11, i write too.
© cheong lee san ( dsnake1 ) 2019
image from morguefile.com
nine eleven
i
up above
in a canvas
of sun-laced clouds
a jetliner trailing thunder
ii
my neighbour
sounded almost apologetic
the towers had fallen he said
collapsed
to a heap of dust
iii
maybe he wanted
to tell me that
it was not him
or his religion
that pulled
the trigger
iv
we waited for the lift
smoked our cigarettes
wondering if a tragedy
half a world away
will change our lives
v
up above
a black dome of sky
the strobe lights of a jetliner
chasing the stars
vi
jetliners will never look the same again.
various dates, sept 2008
a wee editing, sept 2019
********************
[] []
us
__________
them
-- dsnake1, The Height of Haiku Challenge - Day 11, i write too.
© cheong lee san ( dsnake1 ) 2019
posted by dsnake1 at 11:12 PM
11 Comments:
A thoughtful remembrance of a terrible event
You capture so much in this, especially how much everything changed afterwards... no jetliner or skyscraper looks the same.
A powerful poem, Lee San. I remember, back then, worrying that innocent people would be targeted by hatred for what someone else had done, and knew there would be another war. It was horrible. I was heartened by the people dressed as angels, who walked along the streets near the fallen towers, presences of light and love in so much darkness.
Speaking just for myself, this reads like the kind of remembrance that echoes the shock without the horrific bombast of constant DON'T FORGET!!! NEVER FAIL TO REMEMBER!!! that, for me, just overwhelm. Not that my reaction in any way is or should be the measure of anyone else's.
A tragedy beyond words :(
I agree that jetliners will never look the same way again. And when I board a plane, there is always the thought of .... what if?
On 9/11/2001 I was in Hawaii. I was supposed to fly home the following day. Obviously no planes flew on that day. When we did at last fly home, it was the most SILENT flight I was ever on. Everyone was worried.....and looking around.
A powerful reminder of that day and its meaning and how it affects us all....still.
I don't think that wound ever closes. And now there is a generation coming up who won't have seen this happen or lived through the horrible days and weeks of it sinking in - the magnitude, the shared trauma and tragedy, the pain and bewilderment...on and on. I think it is good those of us who remember keep communicating about it so the younger generation can know the experience beyond what they read in their history books. This is very well written and touches on so much of the experience that will never come across in school books. Thank you for sharing it.
Sadly nations have always tried to have influence over others by means of colonisation or trade to achieve great profits and control. It is is no wonder many such "used" nations are standing up for themselves or joining others to wield more power. fair trade is one thing but to have control of another nation merely for profit and political edge is not acceptable but we just don't get that. No wonder there is so much discord.
Jae,
it took me so long to post it. :)
Bjorn,
yes, no jetliner or skyscraper looks the same after that day. :(
Sherry,
it was all over the news that day, it was horrible, but through that tragedy, there was also so much human courage. the firefighters, the police, the ordinary folks.
Chrissa,
sometimes, i think, the subtle is more effective than the loud.
Sanaa,
it certainly is... :(
Mary,
it certainly affects us all, all those who remember that day.
H,
thank you for your comment.
perhaps, for that generation, history books are just not enough. they should understand why it happened, and what consequences the attacks brought. maybe they had already experienced it at the heightened security checks and body searches at the airports.
Robin,
sadly it's getting worse, we are seeing it everyday in the news, the trade wars, tariffs tit-for-tat, the rise of nationalism..
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