This outstanding poem was written by one the finest writers in Northeastern Pennsylvania. It is a pleasure to share it with the rest of the nation.
The 9/11 Poem
Once upon a September’s day,
The world went dark as Dante’s hell;
Earth’s orbit shook and time, itself,
Unwound as night, at midday, fell.
Swells of smoke spewed the ashen air,
Galloping like a beast a-prowl;
Devouring dreams in the dust,
Unleashed upon a path most foul.
Flash and flame assailed the sky;
Cinder and soot profaned the sod.
Brave men and true confronted fear
Like wingless messengers of God.
They climbed in tribute to their own,
Heedless of the fires of hate;
Till they, at last, their duty done,
Laid down their lives at Heaven’s Gate.
Amid the ruin flies the flag,
Unfettered by the evil hand;
The hues of hope and liberty,
Fair emblem of our native land;
Whose only sovereign is our God,
The Lord of Life, Himself, who reigns
In noble deeds and sacrifice;
Beyond the grasp of tyrants’ chains.
United sons and daughters stand
Against the storm, steadfast as stars;
Secured by freedom’s fond embrace,
Sans barriers or bolts or bars.
Heroes all, may they ever know
A grateful nation’s prayerful dole;
As into the hallowed Halls of
Heaven and History they roll.
Their souls forever pledged as one
In Freedom’s proud fraternity;
They live once more where angels soar:
The Towers of Eternity.
Mary Lynch
Wilkes-Barre
Source: The Citizens’ Voice, Letters to the Editor, August 30, 2011.