Falling Forward - 9/11/11
Pillars of Smoke and Fire
Unprepared sacrifices seized
Thrown on raging altars
An offering undemanded
Souls unwilling hurled Heavenward
Our Standard and Shield
Pierced by fresh transgression
The perimeter torn and ragged
A fiery incursion
The general's tent aflame
The Union soil bereft
Bears the final hammer blow
Travelers in a moment warriors
Stop assaults at rolling ramparts
The wound a field of heroes
A battleground around, within
Nowhere to turn from sorrow
A 'we' deformed, defined by mourning
A generation born of widows
Ten years witness - still the silence thunders
1 comments :
Bram, I'm no expert, but I think this piece is very engaging and effective. Your descriptions, alliterations, imagery make this a stirring poem without being overly sentimental. The first stanza is probably my favorite. "Unprepared sacrifices seized" - gives me chills. "An offering undemanded" captures the absurdity of the act and the convictions behind it...truly, there are many lines here I love.
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