A few times Maybe more than a few Okay, a big handful of times Tears have come unbidden They have flowed recklessly Defying my commands Unhidden by my wiping hands They have poured out From a place deeper Than my mind Beyond my reach. Tears of the Spirit. 9/11 Memorial Service The first responders Dressed in their finest Police, Fire, EMTs NH Towns from all over And, running in, A bit late Filling the void in the back row Even NYPD. At my first sight of the solemn columns of blue Coming forward in step Silently marching in Filling in the emptied bay In the Firehouse garage Facing the children Who are readying their speeches Their song Their recitation of the National Anthem. These representatives of the heroes The people who emboided love and walked into The burning towers that day And still every day To save others Whom they do not even know. It was the beauty of that love The caring for fellow humans NYC opening its heart All that and more That called forth my tears Beyond words But not beyond the language of tears. The program had ended I thought the tears were over, Then I glanced down And beheld The black electrician’s tape Holding on the sole Of the patent leather shoe. The soul held on by tape. How fragile, how vulnerable How humble How human.
Crumbs for the Journey 