Man(kind) Down

It still hurts 
The images 
The pain on their faces 
The shock of watching the second plane collide like a giant falling scimitar 
The smoke and ash swallowing entire streets whole 
The great crying maw of Hell and Death commanding it's pale horse forward 
It still hurts 

But from every fire is forged steel 
From every smoke, a breath of air 
From every tear a long, clean streak where the real person is seen and the everyday is washed away 

The terror drove some out 
But the steel, the breath, and the tears rushed in 
Covered from head to toe with determination 
There are still lives inside 

The burning, injured Juggernaut sways in pain 
Tenacious and symbolic of a nation surprised and maddened by the wound inflicted by a sense of righteousness 
At that point we just wanted our friends back 
Our loves 
Our parents 
Our children 
Our joy 

The steels, the tears, and the breaths rush in as many times as they can 
Bringing some joy back into the world with every life they save 
But The Juggernaut cannot stand any longer 
With it's integrity spent from watching it's mate collapse, 
It finally falls with a long exhale of smoke. 
A long trail of tears. 
Shattered, twisted steel in its wake. 

The ones that escape tell us of its pain 
The ones that did not remind us of our own 

True heroes are made of steel 
They cry trails of tears 13 years later 
And they still hold their breath whenever a plane flies low.