"All over our state, all over
the world, spiders are weaving,
rodents pause, whole forests
lean at once. And only some of the
things that shine are mean."

-from "Memorandum," by William Stafford

9/11:  Random Thoughts (Four Poems)
(c) 2006, Karla Dorman

"Learning to Cope"

I sit here, replaying it over
And over.  I don't need the T.V.
To bring it all rushing back - once was
Enough.  It haunts my nights and lives in
My words, images and emotions
Displayed.  Something I must write about.....

"For E. and R. (You Know Who You Are)"

i can't imagine
what you went through
on that day.
how you must have wept...
is that why you
laugh through tears?
do you hide the pain
behind the smiles
on your face?
i can't imagine
what you went through -
know i care.

"Days of Infamy" (For Sherry Heim's Challenge)

Darkness rains from clouds of ash
And chases me through the maze,
Down the canyons of sleep.
Unknown territory, yet
Somehow, vaguely familiar;
We've seen this thing before.
Our mouths pucker ass-tight as
We watch it unfolding live
And in brutal color.
Our moans of disbelief keen
In sympathetic wails to
The sirens, gathering.
People aren't supposed to
Die, not like this, not like this,
Burn, jump, or die helping.
Impotent expressions of
Sadness, rage and fear arise
With the Towers' demise.
Images are imprinted
On the footprints of my soul,
Scarring it forever.
In quiet moments of the
Night and in broken poems,
Too well, I recall that day.

"Random Thoughts"

On this sad morning, the bells
toll moments of silence,
punctuated by the tears
of names read out loud; the
list is endless, random names
who've become family.
Afternoon finds us lost in
private pain trickling down
our faces in silvered tears
of poems understood
by thousands of witnesses
who saw it happening.
And evening sets, but not on
the names, the thousands we
pay tribute to:  random thoughts
reflected in the pool
of memories, of a day
we will never forget.