story8957.xml
Title
story8957.xml
Source
born-digital
Media Type
story
Date Entered
2003-01-13
911DA Story: Story
I am 16 and a member of my school's literary club. I wrote this poem as a tribute to the internal struggles of those who lost loved ones on 9-11, both civilian and fire & rescue workers. It was written on the anniversary for our school's memorial - this Christmas I visited the exhibition in Washington D.C. and wanted to share my poem with others:
"The Kiss They Left Behind" (c) 2002 by Lisa Dalrymple
Few understand the pain
of having only half your heart left.
-Hollowed heart
be filled
with the joy of a young one's eyes.
Demorilization becomes your demeanor,
and confusion your familiarity.
-Bewiledered mind
be stilled
by the comfort of another's understanding.
You're left cold
with no arms to warm you.
-Broken body
be healed
by the warmth of the sun that keeps on rising and setting.
You begin to wonder
what there is to life now.
-Spirit in despair
be willed
to teach your babies about their Daddy.
And remember to tell them,
when they're grown'
that they're
-the kiss they left behind.
"The Kiss They Left Behind" (c) 2002 by Lisa Dalrymple
Few understand the pain
of having only half your heart left.
-Hollowed heart
be filled
with the joy of a young one's eyes.
Demorilization becomes your demeanor,
and confusion your familiarity.
-Bewiledered mind
be stilled
by the comfort of another's understanding.
You're left cold
with no arms to warm you.
-Broken body
be healed
by the warmth of the sun that keeps on rising and setting.
You begin to wonder
what there is to life now.
-Spirit in despair
be willed
to teach your babies about their Daddy.
And remember to tell them,
when they're grown'
that they're
-the kiss they left behind.
Collection
Citation
“story8957.xml,” September 11 Digital Archive, accessed May 3, 2024, https://911digitalarchive.org/items/show/6016.