9/11 MEMORIAL

Of course
it must be water falling
then falling again
not just falling once
but falling twice
into gigantic footprints
where two things did not fall
but melted into themselves.
Into what deep caverns
can we make pain flow?
How deep can a name
be engraved?
How slow was the fall
when you held another’s hand?
Does this water make a difference now?
Does it extinguish the burning finally?
How far away is one’s real face?
How did one tree survive?
It’s only been ten years.
When will we complete the world
before we destroy it?

ANN IVERSON