Tribute to 9/11 From South Africa

We thought it was an advert
A new tv program of some kind.
We thought it was a pervert
Some weird and ghoulish mind.
Or perhaps a pilot’s terrible error
A malfunction of the engine’s plane.
But never, ever the sickening terror
That was designed to kill and maim.

We kept waiting
for them to say it wasn’t true.
That it was a misunderstanding,
human error, a movie plot,
something out of view.
We sensed the muddle,
the puzzled confusion.
It had to be a blunder,
some kind of sick illusion

And then the second plane
struck with deliberation,
And our blood ran icy cold
as we realized the implication.
Our hearts pounded,
horror struck, our mouths went dry,
As we saw these
incomprehensible deeds;
and questioned why.

People in every country –
in simultaneous revulsion,
Gazed at this indescribable act
with incredulous repulsion.
And we watched our tv screens
Felt the sickening realization
As victims jumped to their deaths.
We saw the unimaginable
The falling of the towers
So totally
Unfathomable.

And then we heard about the other plane
And those that gave their lives
To stop those monsters from their aim
So those below could all survive
How they whispered to their loved ones
On cell phones, and said their last goodbye
Then stood as heroes all, and fought them
knowing they would die.

I cannot write these words without
tears rolling down my cheek
I cannot say these words out loud,
For I find it hard to speak.
How my heart wrenches for those I do not know
For those that died on that fateful day,
And for those left to mourn their passing
The ones that lost brothers or sisters,
or moms and dad,
aunts, uncles, and nieces or nephews,
grandparents and grandchildren
girlfriends or boyfriends,
friends, or colleagues,
and lovers too.

And so to all those who were affected by the tragedy of 911
Know that you are not alone, and that every year
We grieve with you and mourn with you.
We too think of then, and shed a silent tear.
This poem started off in rhyme in part,
And now I see it’s just written from my heart.
We salute all of those that died that day,
And know they’re all in heaven.
And pray to God that we will never know
another 911.