9/11

it's become a bit of a ritual
watching the ceremonies at ground zero
and listening to the bells
that mark the time when each tower was hit

it brings me back to another life
especially when the sky is that same, startling blue
i remember that my overwhelming feeling at the time
was that we must remember
remember the horror
so that we conduct ourselves in ways
that endeavor to insure
that this will never happen again

given the current state of events
i would say we have done the opposite
and that america has continued to act
as a polarizing
not a uniting force
in the world.