September 11, 2013
by Sheri Lindner

Beliefs in conflict:
the bullet
the bomb
the blast
these are the
subjects and verbs
of history books.
What if
the page
described this day
as the day
when liriopes' purple majesties,
like a gathering of dignitaries,
waved peace to passersby;
when hosta stems' blooms
invaded every flower bed
exploding in protest
over summer's end;
when troops of ducks
rocketed themselves deep
into the village's sleepy bay
brandishing with military pride
their plumed backsides;
when children staged sorties
at 15 hundred hours
with backyard sprinklers;
when statistics
tell not of how many perished
but of how many poems
were penned this day?



 

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