The Twins

                                  

who sings a song,

a single song,

for the millions

of buildings

that earthquakes, floods

and wars

have erased from

the face of the earth,

making it swallow

all the millions

of people

who once had jobs

and homes

and loved ones, too?’

you´re asking

 

yes, I agree so far

but all the rest is wrong:

we are not mourning

the steel and the concrete

or the Trade

or the Twin Towers,

we´re mourning

the empty sky

and the ground,

nullified,

beneath its feet

we´re not mourning

the ‘up and coming’

but the crushed and fallen

we´re not mourning

the brokers

but the broken

not the businessmen

but the family men

not even the fire fighting heroes

but the fire fighters´ pals,

heroes often die into myths,

their pals often die by suicide

           

and if this song

is not enough

to include the millions,

the sheer millions –

teach me their stories

and I´ll sing them with you

for we are writers,

soul mates, brothers,

and every victim of New York

has a twin

in your part

of the world.

 

--Frank Joussen--

Germany

© Frank Joussen