There was a calm…
Absurdly normal,
like a warning signal
failed.
A morning of false stillness,
with pale sun
and stale heat.
Erupted…
With a cacophonous
shattering
of solace –
of the buildings,
of lives taken,
and of those left alive.
Tears,
like colorless streamers.
Words,
formed by the static of
old, dusty car speakers.
Every wavelength
pitches a panicked alert.
Locked in the closeness
of choked disbelief –
Hazy and trembled,
I jump from the car…
Shakily standing,
blurry and gasping,
I stand on the heat-blistered highway
of mindless traffic
and unaltered noise.
Traffic…
With a
drive
towards vast and varied destinations.
The drive that has deserted me –
Stranded me
in a hub of isolation…
without fuel,
without hope
of ever arriving
at a peaceful resolution.
I stand as the axis
of bustle and motion.
The drone of the highway
is fogged by
my internal focus.
I stand,
completely frozen…
so far from the unheard,
earth-shattering cries
of a tumbled,
invincible
nation.