poem for 9/11/01….

Absence

It was the absence of a soundtrack

that confused me.

I’ve never been one for that

type of action movie anyway.

I never saw Armageddon or Independence Day

or whatever that one is where the

White House is hit with a space ship.

I have too much empathy for people

to watch them suffer and die

tragically, horribly, needlessly.

I like suspense,

I like psychological thrillers

(without the gratuitous gore)

I like dramas and romance

and I love comedies.

I don’t like movies about devastation.

I don’t like movies where the bad guy wins,

and I could care less about special effects.

And as I sat there, home,

sick from work, absently watching TV.

It was the absence of a soundtrack,

that scared me the most.

It was the absence of applause that impressed me.

 All of these actors, singers and musicians

that I have admired for many different reasons

over the years and no one was applauding them.

The singers performed with energy,

the musicians with a passion I’d never seen,

only the actors seemed out of place.

Fully aware that they were there as celebrities

but with no need to act.

Merely react or answer the phone.

No introductions, no commercials,

no scandalous outfits or off-color jokes.

No need to change the channel.

And though I tried for 3 hours,

no way to reach any one out there.

It was the absence of applause

that impressed me.

It’s the absence of thousands of people

that keeps me awake at night

If you’ll pardon the writer

who always seem to have an opinion,

or feeling about everything

that crosses her path….

I apologize for my delay

at expressing myself on this subject…

I have been speechless,

without words…..

They have been absent.