Two Thousand One, Nine Eleven September 11, 2001

Two Thousand One, Nine Eleven
September 11, 2001

by: Paul Spreadbury

Two thousand one, nine eleven, five thousand plus arrive in heaven
As they pass through the gate, thousands more appear in wait.

A bearded man with a stovepipe hat, Steps forward saying,
"Let's sit and Chat"

They settle down in seats of clouds, a man named Martin shouts out proud
"I have a dream!" and once he did. The newcomer said, "Your dream still lives."

Groups of soldiers in blue and gray, others in khaki and green then say
"We're from Bull Run, Anzio, Yorktown and the Maine"
The newcomer said, "You died Not in vain."

From a man on sticks one could hear, "The only thing we have to fear..."

The newcomer said, "We know The rest,
Trust us Sir, we've passed that test."

"Courage doesn't hide in caves, you can't bury freedom in a grave."

The newcomers had heard this voice before.

A distinct Yankees twang from Hyannisport shores.

A silence fell within the mist, somehow the Newcomer knew that this,
Meant time had come for her to say,
What was in the hearts of the five Thousand plus that day

"Back on Earth, we wrote reports, watched our children play sports
Worked in our gardens and sang our songs
Went to church and clipped coupons

We smiled, we laughed, we cried, We fought
Unlike you, great we're not."

The tall man in the stovepipe hat stood and said, "Don't talk like that!
Look at your country, look and see, you died for freedom, just like me."

Then, before them all appeared a scene, of rubbled streets and twisted beams

Death, destruction, smoke and dust, and people working just 'cause they must

Hauling ash, lifting stones, knee deep in hell but not alone

"Look! Blackman, whiteman, brownman, Yellowman

Side by side helping their fellowman!"

Said the man named Martin, as he watched the scene,

"Even from nightmares, can be born a dream."

Down below three firemen raised the colors high in ashen haze

The soldiers above had seen it before, on Iowa Jima back in '44

The man on sticks studied everything closely.

Then shared his perceptions on what he saw mostly

"I see pain...I see tears, I see sorrow but I don't see fear."

"You left behind husbands and wives, daughters and sons,
and so many lives are suffering now because of this wrong
But look very closely. You're not really gone.

All of those people, even those who've never met you.

All of those lives, they'll never forget you.

Don't you see what has happened?

Don't you see what you've done?

You've brought them together, together as one.