We pay the mortgage, we pay the rent.

We wash our cars, we get the paper.
We see the photographs from two years ago
and feel the same twinge of horror, a bit fainter this time.

We go on vacation. Some of us fly.

We see old movies on TV
with shots of the towers, and feel a pang of loss.
Then we watch football, or a car commercial,
or a sitcom.

We shake our fists at the madman of the month.
We shake our fists at the driver who cut us off.

We yell at our children; we hug them tight.
We send them off to school.
We pray they will grow up healthy and good,
and not be taken by evils down the street,
or across the world.

We pray in the kitchen. We pray in our beds.
We pray when our plane takes off.

We pray to God, Jehovah, and yes, even Allah,
or whatever god or gods we think will listen.

We pray for the living, we pray for the dead.
We pray to keep the tightening circle of terrorists
from our families, from our door.
We pray for the families on whose door
they have already knocked.

We pray for our country, the greatest on earth,
we still sincerely believe.

We plant flowers. We pray for rain.

09/07/2003

Author's Note: For the second anniversary... how much and how little has changed....

Posted on 09/07/2003
Copyright © 2025 Bruce W Niedt