As I wait for the other shoe to drop
I think: "That used to be my subway stop"
That hole in the ground that I once traveled
Is the hole through which the world unraveled

The quake shook the ground, but no quake was this -
All conversations revolve around each other's near miss.
Black smoke, orange flames - steel castles turn to sand.
The scythe of horror, wielded by a villain's hand.

Report on report layer like the rubble and debris
Thousands destroyed by what just couldn't be.
A daughter cries for lost loved ones of schoolmates and friends;
A son cries for fears he can not comprehend.

Standing outside the horror, close enough to see in
The nearness of tragedy coldly brushes our skin
Everyone's been touched, some way or another
A friend, child, acquaintance - a father or mother

Two degrees of separation, we hope to remain
One step from destruction, all contacts germane.
Fate provides proof of nature's vicious triage,
As memories of happy outings clash with photos of wreckage.

The other day with hubris unforeseen
To a friend, I boasted: "What, you've never been?
Manhattan is the center of the world, and so
At your very next chance, you really must go."
And I should know...
         It used to be my subway stop.

9/12/01

Rhon,

I don't think that there are any words that I could say that could make this any better...to know that you have lost a part of your life is a feeling like no other. I pray for you and for the losses you now feel, and for the losses your children feel. A valuable thing has been stolen from those who live near any of the destruction sites and most American citizens: the security that we held so close to us, what protected us from the destruction we now must fight to overcome. Again, I am here if you need me and my prayers go out to you and your family/friends.

I have no words my friend only the deepest sense of loss and pain.......We shall never be the same after this....Gem

"Alone I walked the ocean strand,
A pearly shell was in my hand;
I stooped, and wrote upon the sand
My name, the year, the day.
As onward from the spot I passed,
One lingering look behind I cast,
A wave came rolling high and fast,
And washed my lines away."

I just heard about the subway station that was beneath the towers. This poem is so very powerful and intuitive. I was very struck by how you open and close it.
Everything about this is quality writing from deep within the heart. I am very impressed.

"..."

I have no words left to describe what has occured.

Focus your eyes...
~ http://blankpages.cjb.net

rhon,an earnest and reflective piece,the things we take for granted are the very things that make us Americans.A different tomorrow is all I can see.

I sent my soul through the Invisible,Some letter of that After-life to spell.And by and by my soul returned to me,And answered "I myself am Heav'n and Hell." Omar Khayyam

I love This it is beautiful moving and expertly describes Tuesdays tradgey. The last line especially is my favorite... it used to be my subway stop. Amazing

~SaraLiz

"Just Breathe."

I'm so sorry, Rhon, I can't even imagine what it would be like to have a place near my home destroyed. *gives you a hug* This was very moving... so simple, and yet... powerful.

Thanks for sharing!

---------~-
"We are all Americans. We are all grieving. Let us unite in peace and determination that violence will never be the answer."
~ Mayor Keno Hawker

Bumping, as I listen to the annual recitation of names.

Rhon, I am reading this for the first time and I cannot describe the feelings it has brought me. It very literally and swiftly changed my current emotions.

As others have said you opened and closed this so very well and everything in between stands beyond reproach or suggestion because nothing could change the emotion you yourself poured into this.

Thank you for bumping, this was a work I am glad I did not miss.