9/11 poems

[WriterDom]

A place for 9/11 poems. I've volunteered snatch for the first one. I've wanted to write one, and will try, but sometimes it hard to write about something so emotionally close, still.


America Is Hurt
by *Snatch ©

Mass destruction...
many are dead.
Fate's construction
what lies ahead?
Terrorist attack
on the land of the free..
No reason behind it
that I can see.
What the fuck
is wrong with this deal?
Why is it innocent
lives that they steal?
Who is responsible
in taking part...
In this attempt
to break America's heart?
Thousand's of people
dead or hurt bad,
The Nation's in mourning
at the loss we've just had.
Why the fuck
must things like this be?
Could someone please
explain it to me...
Both World Trade Towers
are hit, then they fall...
Both hit by planes
killing one and all.
While in Washington
of our great land..
The Capital is hurt
from what I understand.
Fire's are burning
with little control..
From burning buildings
clouds of smoke roll.
Senseless destruction
as the world shakes..
Payback's a mutherfucker
we'll do what it takes!

 

[REDWAVE]

Thoughts from the Rubble

The bombs you dropped
on half-starved villagers
in remote countries,
you bastards,
have curved around the world
and fallen on me.

 

[WriterDom]

nice visual there RW.

I'm working on one. It's not great, but poetry.com has a whole page of 9/11 poems and I didn't see one I really liked.

 

[REDWAVE]

Your reply, sir?

Hey, WD-- since I assume you disagree with the perspective of my 9/11 poem, how about a reply in verse? I can't tell you what to write, but I'd appreciate a thoughtful, measured response, not a rant. We need to have a dialogue on this subject, which is still very emotional and touchy, not just a shouting match.

 

[WriterDom]

I enjoyed your poem. I wasn't ranting. Different perspectives are what make the world go round. I'm not seeking a verse battle over world politics. Take it to the general board if you want a dialogue over causes of 9/11. I'm sure you find someone to play with there.

 

[Whispersecret]

Geez, Red, you're so defensive!

WD said, "nice visual there RW."

Then he stated that at another site he didn't see any 9/11 poems he liked.

How could you possibly take that to mean he disagreed with your perspective?

I liked your poem too, RW. I'll come out and say I don't agree with your perspective, but it's still a well-constructed, concise statement of your viewpoint. Nice job.

 

[WriterDom]

How could you possibly take that to mean he disagreed with your perspective?

The odds are that I'll rarely agree with his perspectives. But I will lay down my life in order for him to express them.

 

[REDWAVE]

OK, Voltaire

As I would for your right to express yours, WD40.
WS: I knew he disagreed with me from other threads on another board, in another galaxy . . .

But hey, doesn't anyone else have a poem on 9/11, from any kind of perspective, political or otherwise?

An erotic one about two people getting it on because they think they're about to die might be funny, in a macabre sort of way.

 

[WriterDom]

Flight 93

My daughter yet unborn
remember me,
not for how I died
but for how I lived
do not search for "whys"
why is beyond our vision

I wish I could be there
to hold your tiny pink hand
to hear your first word
and watch your first step
I will always be with you
in Spirit

To my wife
be strong in faith
and find a way
to set aside the grief
and find what joy there is

for life is fleeting
and so very precious
what I wouldn't give
for one more day
to wake up in your arms
and tell you how much
happiness you gave me
I Love you so

To my grieving country
watching the smoke through
tearful eyes of disbelief
Know that evil failed to break us
our mettle tested once again
proved tougher than melting steel

While Liberty's skyline changed
from her Ellis Island view
may it forever be the Land of the Free
and the Home of the Brave

Let's Roll

 

[REDWAVE]

Critic's Corner

This is a very good, but also deeply flawed, poem. Basicly, it is two totally different poems stuck together: the eloquent lyricism of the first four stanzas, and the simplistic patriotism of the last two. WriterDom's pessimism about the ability of the human mind to fully comprehend reality comes through in the line "why is beyond our vision"-- probably the best line of the poem.

Overall, an interesting effort, and much better than Snatch's poem (sorry, Snatch).

 

[Camille]

Photo ops

It doesnt happen like that.
Not in the slow motion of collapse.
In real time you hear screaming people.
Groaning steel, the thud of shattered lives.
And the endless wail of sirens.

You hear the drone of planes.
Watching black dots falls.
Into great plumes of fire.
And screams .

The men in Washington hear cameras clicking and tape whizzing.
The men in Afghanistan hear cameras clicking and tape whizzing.

Maybe for them it’s all in slow motion.

 

[Vailyn]

Out from the Frying pan and into the Fire---

Okay, the first two lines popped into my head this morning while I was driving. I almost lost them during the day, while I was at work. I really like those lines. The rest? Eh... You figure it out. And, I errrr admit to not working on my stuff nearly as much as others do, so Im sure there's lots of mistakes! Hehe! Anyways, my contribution to the Sept. 11th. Tho, I did not intend to make one before this morning.....

No warnings, no clues
Just terrified voices on the news
Showing continuous footage
Of an ordinary scene.
Except for the billowing smoke
Rising up the screen…

Confusion and disquiet
Fills the air and seeps inside.
Tears are shed even as strangers stand,
Unaware of tragedies lying behind
Of the towers of steel bleeding
Into the perfect cloudless blue sky.

Routines for emergencies
Serve their role in practice well,
Yet put to work they often fail
For the fear of horrors too near.
Rampant chaos seize the masses:
Herding the majority towards ill chances.

None of which was enough,
To save even half the souls lives.
Too many have died trapped
In a game of politics worldwide.
By a mad man who’s riches didn’t hide
Well enough from thousands angry cries!

Smoldering ruins darken the block
Within a city defamed for its dark parts.
Colored with many touches of sorrows’
Memories of those lost in daylight.
Also for the many innocents who stood:
Staring blankly in absent thought.

Known for the shape of its design
Other keywords are secrets, intelligent might
Now holds a flaw so big and wide:
One could call it crater, no lie.
Scarred the attitudes of a nation
By showing so plainly the insecurities we hide.

Calm acceptance, sad though the loss
Only to turn in disgust at the arrogance
Of the leader without this one’s vote.
Who crows so vocally of vengeance,
Which just compounds the mad one’s mistakes
With nightmarish versions of our own.

 

[REDWAVE]

Armageddon

It was the beginging of the end.
The day the twin towers fell,
I knew the sky had broken
and the deluge was upon us
The mad king ranted and rattled his missiles
The boots of the police grew ever thicker
The lights are going out all over the world
And they will not come back on in our generation
The stakes have been raised
The dice have been loaded
Please move to one side of the room or the other:
Pretty soon the center will be riddled with
crossfire

But wait! if you listen very closely
beneath the static
beneath the bravado
beneath the hype and the bullshit
You can faintly hear
the thin wailing of the people

--February 1, 2002

 

[Ded Poet]

Re: Photo ops

Camille,
Your poem is powerful and rings true. The voice is strong. I particularly like the repetition of the third stanza. I wonder if the first two stanzas would be more effective with more standard punctuation--what do you think?

It does'nt happen like that--
not in the slow motion of collapse.
In real time you hear screaming people,
groaning steel. The thud of shattered lives
and the endless wail of sirens.

You hear the drone of planes,
watching black dots fall
into great plumes of fire
and screams.

The men in Washington hear cameras clicking and tape whizzing.
The men in Afghanistan hear cameras clicking and tape whizzing.

Maybe for them it’s all in slow motion.


Great work. Thanks for the read.

DP