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“Ground Zero by Stewart Stafford

At the rim of the abyss,
Among the malignant smoking rubble,
And the plane and body parts,
The traumatised rediscovered their purpose.

In a moonscape of fallen pride, identity, and ambition,
The anonymous saved something of the unsalvageable,
Searchers with sandwiches and coffee in the toxic dust,
Manna from Good Samaritans with unconditional gratitude.

As the lungs struggled to take in air,
The hearts of each participant enlarged,
And found shelter in non-partisan synergy,
Becoming a family of former strangers.

The lesson of the lost was to stay loving and open-hearted,
Not turn away and isolate from life and others,
Even when the scars became unbearable,
Their stolen affection remained a towering beacon from the ruins.

© Stewart Stafford, 2021. All rights reserved.”
― Stewart Stafford

“The Day We Will Never Forget 9/11
Dedicated to the men, women and children who lost their lives...

I still hold her hand
And
Her charming smile was still there on the stairs
I wanted to ask her that day...
And
Her perfume was still in the corridors of the subway
Until then a mighty thunder of the day
The sky was painted of death
And noise burst from the walls
Where glowing arrows drilled in the glass
As if I could turn back the time
And
My broken heart lies there on the stairs And
Dust from a thousand lungs
I still hold her hand”
― sir kristian goldmund aumann

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sir kristian goldmund aumann > Quotes > Quotable Quote
“The Day We Will Never Forget 9/11
Dedicated to the men, women and children who lost their lives...

I still hold her hand
And
Her charming smile was still there on the stairs
I wanted to ask her that day...
And
Her perfume was still in the corridors of the subway
Until then a mighty thunder of the day
The sky was painted of death
And noise burst from the walls
Where glowing arrows drilled in the glass
As if I could turn back the time
And
My broken heart lies there on the stairs

And
Dust from a thousand lungs
I still hold her hand”
― sir kristian goldmund aumann

“The Day We Will Never Forget 9/11
Dedicated to the men, women and children who lost their lives...

I still hold her hand
And
Her charming smile was still there on the stairs
I wanted to ask her that day...
And
Her perfume was still in the corridors of the subway
Until then a mighty thunder of the day
The sky was painted of death
And noise burst from the walls
Where glowing arrows drilled in the glass
As if I could turn back the time
And
My broken heart lies there on the stairs

And
Dust from a thousand lungs
I still hold her hand”
― sir kristian goldmund aumann

“The Edge of Reason by Stewart Stafford

I do not want to die or take my own life,
I cling to the outside of skyscraper metal,
Thick, choking smoke rakes my shoulder,
Scorching flames lash my back and legs.

I showered, dressed and went to work,
I arrived early, said hello, found my desk,
Then the building shifted, smiles faded,
Everything changed, and here we are.

God, please take me quickly, I beg you,
Bless my loved ones, I hope they understand,
A Rorschach test for shocked rubberneckers,
I let the air pressure suck me out and drop.

The initial relief of vacating impossibility,
Turns to violent buffeting in wind currents,
Clothes ripped off as I spin, falling faster,
Crowds point, the ground rushes towards me.

© 2024, Stewart Stafford. All rights reserved.”
― Stewart Stafford

“No photograph records
that day's unmaking roar.

Things ripped from skins,
words from definitions.

Letters distilled until
incomprehensible,

whistles, clicks, thrummed dipthongs
an underwater song

too deep for human ears.
We wept, or cursed in fear,

beseeched unanswered phones
Please God, alone,

walked home in single file.

From "Uh-Oh”
― George Witte, Deniability