Friday, March 17, 2017

17: Quiet...



This morning we woke up here on the Upper West Side
and decided to go downtown
down, down, down,
all the way down to The Battery's Castle Clinton
to catch a glimpse of Lady Liberty's shining torch
and Ellis Island's spires
and
the 9/11 Memorial

Its location is quiet, unassuming -- I almost missed it
except for the flock of people who banked into the space 
to catch a glimpse of the familiar square outlines, airy waterfalls and pools
and to read the names, one by one

...and her unborn child: There were three mentions like this in the names listed at North Tower.
These babies would be driving now, thinking about college...

Across from the pair of pools is The Oculus
an attention-getter from first sight 
I analyzed the structure as would my husband;
it's his wheelhouse

First thought: What IS this?

It beckons passers-by inside to notice 
two levels of shopping tucked underground
and even a train station
but it is quiet
so quiet

Second thought: Look how small the people are down below!  This IS big.

Across the street is St. Paul's Chapel
Built in 1766
I remember seeing its silvery steeple during 9/11 coverage
Unscathed and poised to serve

How could two gigantic buildings fall across the street and everything here remained intact?
Today's cornflower sky reminded me of my morning commute
that September day so long ago
It was beautiful, just like the water cascading into the footprints of the twin towers
It was bright, just like the glittering gold letters separating sections of names
It was quiet, just like The Oculus' deep, deep drop

...just like me



Write on,
b

2 comments:

  1. I've been to ground zero twice and each time it was incredibly profound and somber. Your post took me back again. This was beautiful. Thanks.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Never been, but I hope to make it soon.

    Thank you for posting!

    ReplyDelete

Hi! I'd love to hear what you are thinking right now, so please take a sec and drop me a line. I'm so glad you stopped by today -- thanks a billion. :)