Why do we build our walls so high?

Towering edifices

Reaching like Babel to something better,

Only to realize we are lost.

One September morning

Dawned like any other…

Stumbling out of bed

Grumbling at the hour

Rushing to merge with 

The endless sea

Of city workers.

As I joined the flow, 

The tide of humanity on the streets of Manhattan,

People walked as islands of isolation

Not even glancing at one another.

Averting eye contact

With ragged pan-handlers,

Pouring onto subway cars,

Glazed, distant eyes

That see nothing.

Some old fool in the corner 

Talking to himself

Citizens scurrying through crowded streets

Only to bury themselves in the seclusion

Of mouse-like cubicles,

Staring at screens.

Then, breaking the click-clack

Of fingers on keyboards,

Of phones ringing,

Of shoes hitting tile floors…

The first tower began to blaze.

Folks frozen for an endless moment,

Then fleeing towards

Stairwells in terror

And disbelief.

The separation of seconds

Before now replaced

By a common goal…

Escape.

So many people

Sweating

Panicking

Crying and calling loved ones.

This was the morning

Our lives would 

Change forever

Our country would 

Band together

Over a tragedy

Felt from sea to shining sea.

As we all joined the race

To escape,

I noticed

There was no longer

Black or white or brown,

Only grey.

Grey, soot-covered faces

Together, helping each other,

When only minutes before

They had been distant, divided.

Eyes reaching to see

Who needed to be lifted

To his feet

Who needed comfort

In this time of need.

We were now all the same – one.

As the firefighters raised our flag

At the center of destruction

I cried desolate tears,

Rivers of emotion

Streaking through the grey,

Ashen canyons on my face.

Not tears born out of fear

Or relief

Or even grief for those we lost

But tears born of a question:

Why….

Did it take something like this

To bring us together?