Men and The Goddess

Today I’m going to let this poem speak for itself.

Can We Afford Peace?
(A Musing on 9/11)

Remember the day the towers came down,
A glancing blow on the Potomac,
A plowed field in Pennsylvania.
Remember – Another “day of infamy.”

We memorialize this day each year
To burn the images, the losses, the audacity
A little deeper in the Soul of America.
We stir and restir the anger, the hate,

The fear of the other, brown people, Islam.
But do we remember to forgive?
Our sovereignty was attacked on 9/11;
Innocent trust in invincibility lost.

There is no sovereignty without forgiveness.
It is a hollow fate carved out by hate.
But we remember and stir to keep
The embers of revenge alive.

There is too much profit in war, revenge;
Too much profit for the powers:
We can’t afford peace. Forgiveness?
It may lead to peace – and loss!

©2018 Richard W. Bredeson. All rights reserved.