Lest We Forget [11 September 2001, A Requiem] Poem by Maurice Harris

Through a hatred borne of fear, you plotted your course;
With each 'Freedom' as fodder, your animus grew worse;
Your ignorance cannot be countered with rational debate,
It is your fundamental flaw-you hate, for the sake of hate!
One tragic, late Summer day, whose infamy you ensured,
You destroyed a treasured symbol-and though now cured,
Inculcated great fear-not to mention the lives you have taken!
We are resolute and unafeared, where once, we were shaken.

Your victory was pyrrhic, and very short-lived-
For, our time for righteous retribution soon arrived!
You awakened a sleeping lion, from His peaceable sleep,
And now, your total annhilation is a promise we shall keep,
To the humble and brave families of those we have lost;
We are 'One Nation, Under God' that you should have never crossed!

Millions of heroes, from cities and towns both far and wide,
Each with an indefatigable sense of American pride,
Have assembled from disparate lives, to fight side by side,
To honor the memory of those who tragically died!
They were very real people, from every station in life,
Whose loss, to this very day, still cuts like a knife,
Through the collective consciousness of the entire world;
Now, as a nation of nations, under a single flag unfurled,
We have gathered e'er more strength and fortitude still;
If we can not defeat with sheer might, our attitude will!

We are the embodiment of all you have taken from us-
Your diabolical deeds have surely shaken our trust
In the inherent goodness of man-shame on you!
The man in the mirror is culpable-yes, the blame's on you,
And you alone, for all the destruction and innocence you have taken;
You may never rebuild the trust that you have foresaken!

Our loss is profound, yet strengthens our resolve-
So long as, around the Sun, the Earth does revolve,
Your's is not an ideology that will capture a greater stage,
Only the rebuke of a righteous people, as well as their greater rage!

May we never forget what the world truly lost that day:
The citizens of the world, who paid a cost, that may
Never be repaid, as precious lives may not be replaced!
We must ensure that their memories are never effaced-
That we live lives, about which they could be proud
And hold fast to the promises that, to them, we've avowed!
For, it is for them and in memory of their grace
That we tempered our response to the right time and proper place,
Where hate mongers have tried to make it about religion and race!
This is the only way we may look our children in the face:
With the knowledge that our response was proper, and our force was right-
In the face of pure evil, we constrained our righteous might!

We honor those lost, always, lest we ever forget!
For all that for which they lived, we will never forfeit
The values they taught us, while they were living:
Love, patience, tolerance, and a perpetual Thanksgiving
For all the wonder that life had ever offered!
This is worthy a refrain, lest your heart still be coffered
By a misplaced animus for a phantom menace;
That is the fundamental difference we have between us:
The ability to know what is right and what is wrong-
It is what makes you weak, and us, strong!

-Maurice Harris,11 September 2011