Light and Dark
(from Windows Of The World 2001, by T. Yates) Complete Piece
Heart aches uncontrollably
I feel very lost
So much of what we knew is in rubble
People pass by with hollow eyes –
They shudder too often without warning
I flinch and hold my breath when an airplane fly’s overhead
Sirens scream and recreate that ghastly moment –
Flashbacks and denial walk hand in hand as if familiar lovers
How does one get beyond such a monumental tear?
The sound of an intentional ripping is heard in every corner of this city
Where is the dark and light, the tall and short of it all?
We always played in the shadows – light and dark, our comrades
Now we have nothing to depend on, except uncertainty
To my left is a firehouse
My eyes overflow
I don’t hide my sadness
The candles flicker in the dark
Illuminating the stars and stripes
Our brothers, our sisters, their pictures –
Images of life gone by, while others remain
Leaving powerful love notes taped to the windows
Begging their God to be kinder next time around
A priest passed by me
With the arms of the firefighters
Carrying his presence to the alter
His head fell in an amazingly peaceful pose
His face gentle and calm
A hallow of dust floated around his head like a sorrowful crown
His Rosary still in hand
Angel’s wings in full flutter guiding the soldier
Taking him home
A few months later...
Some of the babies have been born
Bitter sweet rejoices are heard around the world
As cries of innocence take their first hard gasp of breath
The child cries in all of us as it did when the band stopped
Playing our favorite songs in 1993
The songs repeat and fade in our minds - twirl and dance
In our desperation, we instinctively and frantically
Reach out to hold the tune close
As it slips away again in 2001
Our hands linger in mid air for endless moments
Questioning continually questioning...
It’s our dance
Our two-step
The footings never change –
The dark and light of it will lead the way
We will faithfully follow
The blind leading the blind
We will listen as the mute speak for the deaf
The lame take their first steps
Our eyes could have been eternally shut
Voices never spoken
Our cries never heard
We could have crawled on our bellies
Out from under the rubble…
We were carried, we walked
We helped one another
We stood in the choking cloud of destruction
And came to meet the dark
Face to unknown face
Walking in the direction of the beaming light
A beacon in the mist
Of our own clouded memories
Instantly became clear
As if a God had reached out
And sent all of us the same map –
Directions to a brighter future
All accepting unconditionally without question
The sheep being led to greener pastures
We walk with our hearts pinned to our sleeve
And share a battered sense of unity...
Trilby Yates, September 2001
© 2014 TrilbyYates
I feel very lost
So much of what we knew is in rubble
People pass by with hollow eyes –
They shudder too often without warning
I flinch and hold my breath when an airplane fly’s overhead
Sirens scream and recreate that ghastly moment –
Flashbacks and denial walk hand in hand as if familiar lovers
How does one get beyond such a monumental tear?
The sound of an intentional ripping is heard in every corner of this city
Where is the dark and light, the tall and short of it all?
We always played in the shadows – light and dark, our comrades
Now we have nothing to depend on, except uncertainty
To my left is a firehouse
My eyes overflow
I don’t hide my sadness
The candles flicker in the dark
Illuminating the stars and stripes
Our brothers, our sisters, their pictures –
Images of life gone by, while others remain
Leaving powerful love notes taped to the windows
Begging their God to be kinder next time around
A priest passed by me
With the arms of the firefighters
Carrying his presence to the alter
His head fell in an amazingly peaceful pose
His face gentle and calm
A hallow of dust floated around his head like a sorrowful crown
His Rosary still in hand
Angel’s wings in full flutter guiding the soldier
Taking him home
A few months later...
Some of the babies have been born
Bitter sweet rejoices are heard around the world
As cries of innocence take their first hard gasp of breath
The child cries in all of us as it did when the band stopped
Playing our favorite songs in 1993
The songs repeat and fade in our minds - twirl and dance
In our desperation, we instinctively and frantically
Reach out to hold the tune close
As it slips away again in 2001
Our hands linger in mid air for endless moments
Questioning continually questioning...
It’s our dance
Our two-step
The footings never change –
The dark and light of it will lead the way
We will faithfully follow
The blind leading the blind
We will listen as the mute speak for the deaf
The lame take their first steps
Our eyes could have been eternally shut
Voices never spoken
Our cries never heard
We could have crawled on our bellies
Out from under the rubble…
We were carried, we walked
We helped one another
We stood in the choking cloud of destruction
And came to meet the dark
Face to unknown face
Walking in the direction of the beaming light
A beacon in the mist
Of our own clouded memories
Instantly became clear
As if a God had reached out
And sent all of us the same map –
Directions to a brighter future
All accepting unconditionally without question
The sheep being led to greener pastures
We walk with our hearts pinned to our sleeve
And share a battered sense of unity...
Trilby Yates, September 2001
© 2014 TrilbyYates
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