A Blue Sky by Jiri Hodan |
There’s nothing like
A September blue sky,
Crisp air magnifying brilliance,
A hue more artist’s brush than nature‘s hand.
Jet trails weave their way
Through the September blue,
Ferrying travelers
To places far removed
From my prairie home,
The distant sound of engines humming
In the background of my life.
On a day like this,
My mind can’t help
But take a journey of its own,
Back to that tragic Tuesday
When the jet trails disappeared,
A September blue so deep
It seemed a mournful world
Had a direct line to the heavens
To make anguished grief heard.
The panic, the anger, the fear,
The uncertainty of the day
Cast a cloud in my heart
Until a familiar noise arose,
The drone of jet engines
Echoing across the land,
Air Force One
Escorted by a squadron of steel angels
Winging their way eastward,
A trail of hope floating
Through the September blue
Reminding us that
United we stand,
United we rebuild,
United we survive.
~~~ This poem was written for my prompt over at Poetry Jam this week asking to capture a moment in time. Seeing Air Force One fly overhead on its way back to Washington, D.C. after the terrorist attacks of September 11 was one moment I know will live in my mind forever.
14 comments:
I was sending my kids off onto the bus, but before they went we prayed at the door, I knew our world changed forever that day.
A memorable poem about a momentous day. You recaptured it so well. The sky did seem extra blue that day.
This is so full.....something to keep in mind always...
your closure on this is truth...it is only united we get through these things...and only united we move forward.....in the eleven years since we seem to have lost a bit of that...
Wow, to actually SEE Air Force One flying over must have been amazing. You captured the MOMENT well!
Love these words:
"United we stand,
United we rebuild,
United we survive."
I don't think anyone old enough to know about this can ever or, will ever forget where they were and what they were doing. Such a horrific event. Of which I hope will never be repeated. Yes, many lives were forever changed.
Deeply touching Mary.
A sad day indeed. Great piece.
A sad moment remembered but you expressed it very well! I love the way you ended it! Unity... a strong word!
I like how your memory of a sad and terrifying event is couched in the positive uplifting message of your poem. I think it's so important to remember that the good triumphs over the bad... or at least we can continue to work to make sure it does.
United we stand,
United we rebuild,
United we survive.
I really appreciated your prompt this week. It was just what I needed.
You bring a sense of coming together while depicting a tragedy that left the US with a case of national PTSD. The "trail of hope," and your final stanza... well, I wish it were so. You remind us, and yet we remain fractured by the fear and doubt instilled by the man who was in Air Force One. Just my thoughts, hope I don't put a damper on things. Peace, Amy
http://sharplittlepencil.com/2012/09/05/nurse-in-the-field-afghanistan/
your last three lines gave me shivers, Mary ~ united is the only way we will survive.
thank you for the prompt and for sharing your memories of that "moment."
♥
Excellent closure!! Perfectly true words.
Considering what's happening in the world right now ... united is our only hope. Thank you for writing this!
um mm mm
Nicely done with presence and absence and renewed presence in blue. Unity.
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