Poetry Corner

We lost our innocence that fateful day

Our backs could no longer be turned away

As the world’s injustice struck down on our land

We struggled incessantly to understand

How such ruthless fury could be such a surprise

We had all seen the world through blinded eyes

Rising up from the ashes, we vowed to prevail

But the life we had known now seemed so surreal

Nations united to share in our pain

Our small place in time was no longer the same

Though the history of Earth had spanned millions of years

Time now stood still amidst anguish and tears

You would swear the devastation that we wore on our face

Transcended the universe to the far corners of space

We were but a speckle in the great scheme of life

Who had all fallen victim to intolerance and strife

We looked to each other for the courage to cope

In the solace of strangers came a new wave of hope

And with that, a new wind blew in with the tide

And washed our great nation with promise and pride

It was some sort of energy or higher power

That graced us with strength in our darkest hour

We came together to mourn all those killed

Then pronounced emphatically that we would rebuild

One year has now passed and our hearts have healed

And the flaws of our government have all been revealed

And though the rage and despair have now slipped away

We are never the same since that fateful day.

~Jackie Pitts