How Much We Lost

How long will it be, I wonder, before I can say this date without recalling vivid details of another September day? This one is not crisp and clear and beautiful, like that one was. It's cool and rainy here in the northeast US.

How long will it be, I wonder, before I look at a plane in the sky and not think about how it looks like a missile? How long will it be before I forget the feeling of those few days when there were no planes in the sky at all?

How long will it be before I stop feeling disoriented in lower Manhattan, before I stop being surprised at the bizarre vacant space across from Brooks Brothers? How long before I can approach the fence, how long before I don't resent those who can and do?

How long will it take for the world to untangle the events set in motion that day? The death of Archduke Ferdinand, the Treaty of Versailles, September 11th, these events define us for centuries to come. so sad.