The Twin Towers’ collapse woke us…
For a moment.
Enlightened during the morning news.
Raped for a few hours,
Not a lifetime.
Violated for only an instance - the pinhole of a sweater.
We shivered and the warmth returned.
Slowly:
An apprehensive cat approaching a stranger’s lap.
We cried, and then turned to deserts.
Quicker:
Denial clamps over reality like a mother hushing her inappropriate child:
Hand over mouth.
We feared and walked the dog outside after dinner.
Immediately:
A golden retriever circles the door like a shark falling nothing short of
Putting his paws between his legs and bouncing up and down in urgency.
Thank the dog for fading the pain, interrupting charcoal thoughts.
I embrace my ignorance trying to remain innocent.
I opt not to watch the slaughter of others outside my house,
Just on the TV. In another country.
Removed.
I can pretend it isn’t real.
Just like mom taught me when we watched horror movies.
Deja-vous; minds sometimes return to another day.
They hope it will remain a past memory
And not a premonition.
I accept that the unknown will never be prevented. We’ve all accepted that.
Live life and be thankful that our One Day was not what others experience for a lifetime.
Copyright 2006 Cathy Kaplan