9/11 Poem by guillermo veloso

Autumn came early to the summer city;
Trees transfixed in flame
They fell as seeds / spores
From the dying trees
Ash and cloud
Steel and shroud
A quenching of thirst
A candle engulfed
Singular moment
Hammered into existence on an
Anvil of numbers
911
81
102
50,000
8
18
8000
300
5000
They fell as leaves from an autumn tree
The passion dance set free to fly
A final leap for the face of God
Born on angels wings and free of insolence
Quiet, resigned
Arm in arm
Delicate in the embrace of the eternal
And brought to earth’s warm bosom
Phone calls
Microwave notes
Final moments in the fierce presence of now.
“Mommy I love you; Goodbye”
Beneath the same sky we share the same life, fears and fragility.
the same terrible moment; the same destined shore.
Autumn came early to the summer city.
They fell as seeds from the dying tree.
Born quietly; arm in arm, angels in flight; To the eternal.