Who am I to have even one observation worth sharing
A city so tested ongoing so weathered by fate's
Cruel chaos I know nothing of what it means
To be war-torn the closest I can come to imagining

The echo of hopelessness' melody across
Canyons of unimaginable brutality accidental or
Intentional is 9/11 so I put my shawl of empathy
Over my head its fringes fall loosely above my eyelids

I picture myself where you are the loss the fire
The inability to reach the ones I love this is merely
An exercise how frequently now it has become
Necessary to light candles of compassion

Exorcising the mundane for long enough
Hopefully to allow awareness of our oneness
To permeate the membrane of each daily rationale
A bubble of ritual made vital by ongoing tragedy

I Google emergency relief organizations
As my shawl falls off my shoulders
I am able to consider what I will have
For my next meal and I pause, considering fasting