2 poems from "September's Song" / Lucille Clifton

from September's Song: A Poem in Seven Days

Tuesday 09/11/01

thunder and lightning and our world
is another place no day
will ever be the same no blood
untouched

they know this storm in other wheres
israel ireland palestine
but God has blessed America
we sing

and God has blessed America
to learn that no one is exempt
the world is one all fear
is one all life all death
all one

    .    .    .    .    .    .    .

Sunday Morning 9/16/01

for bailey

the st. marys river flows
as if nothing has happened

i watch it with my coffee
afraid and sad as are we all

so many ones to hate and i
cursed with long memory

cursed with the desire to understand
have never been good at hating

now this new granddaughter
born into a violent world

as if nothing has happened

and i am consumed with love
for all of it

the everydayness of bravery
of hate of fear of tragedy

of death and birth and hope
true as this river

and especially with love
bailey fredrica clifton goin

for you

~~
Lucille Clifton (1936-2010)
from Voices: Compassion Education, 2011

[Licensed under Creative Commons license BY-NC-SA 3.0 - some rights reserved]

Lucille Clifton biography

"Tuesday 9/11/01" & "Sunday Morning 9/16/01" read by Clifton. Courtesy PBS NewsHour.

(Poem begins at 0:42)