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Twenty-four years have passed, and the National
9/11 Memorial in New York City now receives the prayers and reflections of thousands of friends and relatives of those whose lives were taken
on September 11, 2001, some of whom still remained buried at this sacred site. The extensive monument bears the names of each victim,
around two waterfalls flowing where the two towers of the World Trade
Center once defined the skyline of New York City.
This memorial
illustrates iconic realism in that the designers have strategically placed the genesis of a woodland paradise, surrounding the Towers’ footprints, now flowing with tranquil waters in the midst of one of this planet's most vibrant cities. The massive garden, with its delicate waterfalls
constructed on the site where immense devastation, despair and death occurred,
now transpires with a perspective of renewal, hope and life, a memorial that transcends the horror and brings awareness of cultural perseverance combined with the
healing strength of elevated consciousness.
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I wrote this poem the afternoon of
September 11, 2001 in Danbury, CT, 65 miles north of the horror, yet close enough to know that the same
clouds passing above me just passed over the horror. The wispy clouds almost
looked like angels floating above and away from the madness below. Silence…
except for the industry of nature.
September 11, 2001
Bellowing clouds of madness
devour cavernous streets
filled with masses
seeking freedom
from a spumous potion of death.
Silent plumes in an azure sky,
Blessed by the prayers
of three thousand Angels,
newly formed and gliding overhead,
mollify this tableau of horror.
As evening approaches,
silent stars fill the night firmament.
No airplanes fly in this night sky.
Delicate crickets chirp; katydids begin to sing.
Strong airy wings of a soaring bird reveal
a Love that can never die...
Freedom prevails.
© Jeanne I. Lakatos 2001
