I read this poem by Simon Armitage last night. It is being read on Channel 5 (which I can't get) this evening. It is very long, but it is well worth the effort. It is written from the point of view of a man working at the top of the World Trade Centre, living through, and ultimately dying on, 11th September. The last lines speak to us all about the world we now live in.
Five years on
what false alam can be trusted again?
What case or bag can be left unclaimed?
What flight can be sure to steer its course?
What building can claim to own its form?
What column can vow to stand up straigh?
What floor can agree to bear its weight?
What tower can vouch to retain its height?
What peace can be said to be water-tight?
What truth can be said to be bullet-proof?
Can anything swear to be built to last?
Can anything pledge to be hard and fast?
What system can promise to stay in place?
What structure can promise to hold its shape?
What future can promise to keep the faith?
Everything changed. Nothing is safe.
In memory of those who died on 9/11, and of all those innocents in many countries who have died as a result of that day.
Link to poem
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