September 11th, 2001 - A Prayer for Humanity 

On September 11th, a blue-sky day,
No warning for disaster only minutes away,
Where the World Trade Towers standing so tall,
Become targets for terrorists, soon to crumble and fall,
Slammed into by jets, one tower, then another,
People scream in horror and run for cover:
The towers collapse and fall to the ground,
More than 3,000 victims still unfound.
I never thought I'd live to see
such violence against humanity.

Another jetliner plunges into the Pentagon,
Our fortress of security explodes like a bomb,
Sending plumes of smoke, black and gritty,
Darkening the sky above our Capitol City.
Nearly 200 victims will die here
From a terrorist attack meant to strike fear
That I never thought I'd live to see
Into the hearts of humanity.

Then one more jetliner crashes and burns
In a Pennsylvania field, and we later learn
That heroic passengers aboard the plane,
Fought to keep the White House from its aim.
I'm grateful to have lived to see
Such courage as part of humanity.

Unspeakable scenes of horrific disaster
Are displayed on TV each day, thereafter:
The shock, the losses, the desperate feat
Of finding survivors beneath steel and concrete,
The heart-wrenching phone calls from loved ones on planes,
An attempt to warn before death came in flames;
I'm brought to tears by what I see
As I watch the heroes of humanity.

Courageous efforts by firemen and police,
Their searches for victims will never cease,
Despite the grief at the loss of their own,
They relentlessly dig through rubble and stone.
Emotions run wild in my heart and my mind
At this brutal assault on humankind.

Who would imagine that this land of the free
Would one day fall victim to such tragedy
Spawned by terrorists of fanatical belief
Whose actions have caused such unspeakable grief?
Our friends mourn our losses from around the world
As we try to recover from the hatred that was hurled
At our beloved country on that tragic day
Where thousands of citizens were the terrorists' prey.
I never thought I'd live to see
Such evil visited upon humanity.

Our lives will never be quite the same,
We are all wounded by what seems so insane,
For the actions of a few, we have paid a great price
And the days ahead will bring more sacrifice.
Let's work to make our country secure,
Protecting our citizens from shore to shore,
Hold fast to loved ones and friends everywhere,
Light a candle, hug a child, and say a prayer,
That our mission not be blinded by rage, or hate
In our anguished need to retaliate,
But that justice be served on our own terms and way
Upon those responsible for that infamous day,
For I never want to live in a world where I see
Such brutal attacks on humanity. 

Copyright ©2001 Virginia Carlson