An Infamous landmark turns seven years old;
A Cultural Necessity

The Misnomer of Ground Zero
A infamous landmark turns seven years old.

Ground Zero is now seven.
A birthday that recalls
a more innocent time
when terrorists robbed our nation
of its child-like trust
and assumed sense of safety.

Ground Zero IS 9/11.
A grave reminder of the day
a pair of twins collapsed
and perished
while Mother Liberty
looked on in horror.

Ground Zero is a misnomer.
It is anything but
nothing, nada, zippo.
Its blood-soaked soil
hides seeds of hatred
fertilized by memories of anguish.

Ground Zero is nonetheless
hallowed ground near a market
whose stock and trade
continues to be carried out
in the shadow of a skyline
in which two notable towers
are sadly missing.

Ground Zero remains
the face of a nation
whose ability to smile
has forever been altered,
like a seven year old missing
her two front teeth.
 

A Cultural Necessity
The timeless place of poetry in our society.

There are times you need a poem
to express the pain inside.
Words fall short as feelings lengthen
and in sorrow thoughts can lie.
 
Poets have a way of sifting
through the rubble of our grief.
In their lyrical expressions,
mourners often find relief.
 
When they sense God’s holy presence
and are silenced by His grace,
they’re amazed how poets’ brushes
can portray His unseen face.
 
And when joy exceeds description
at a wedding or a birth,
there is nothing like a poem
to convey life’s deepest mirth.
 
Ever notice just how often
someone quotes some poetry?
In an ocean of emotion
rhyming verses calm the sea.
 
So when asked if I’m a poet,
I don’t wince and hang my head.
I can’t think of a vocation
that I’d rather claim instead.