Ten Years On

by Ian Colville
(United Kingdom)

The sky descended once; you lost the sum
Of dreams, when children cried through falling dust
Although you cannot sleep forever, mum

Remember, don’t forget, you can’t succumb
To dread that keeps returning like it must
The sky descended once; you lost the sum

You dwell upon that day; its constant thrum
A rancid pain, like pillars bluntly thrust
Although you cannot weep forever, mum

They mocked our freedoms, said we had become
The foe of foes that, shameless, seethed with lust
The sky descended once; we lost the sum

With skyline ripped in half, you felt so numb
As if your heart was torn apart and cursed
Because you cannot weep forever, mum

Your world imploded; still the nightmares come
Through ten long years of pain and deep distrust
The sky descended once; you lost the sum
Although you cannot sleep forever, mum


Author's Note:
To honour the 10th anniversary of 9/11, this villanelle is as if from a child to a mother; one who lost a loved one that day. The use of ‘sum’ is from its definition as ‘an indefinite amount or quantity’, reflecting the mother’s unquantifiable loss. The mother exists in a world of dreams (and attendant nightmares), not wishing to face reality, but she cannot sleep forever.