Even Pictures

An image, really.
But I've never been to New York.
No cousins or brothers or aunts or lovers or co-workers
or best friends
lost in rubble, fire.
I was in fifth grade,
I still had straight hair.
Overheard panic, like static
held in your hand.
Dad took the telephone call.

The faces plummeting from 128 stories
were like aliens.
Sucking in a last breath of
plastic air-
I will never know you.

Ground Zero, naked
A city crawling with too much, too
much.
And they want to build a Forgiveness garden there.