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I felt I had to do something in the form of an art piece. It
helped me absorb it by immersing myself in the images that I was
seeing daily.
REST IN PEACE
(by Vietnamese Buddhist monk, Thich Nhat Hanh)
I am a World Trade Center tower, standing tall in the clear blue sky,
Feeling a violent blow in my side, and I am a towering inferno of pain
And suffering imploding upon myself and
Collapsing to the ground.
May I rest in peace.
I am a firefighter sent into dark corridors of smoke and debris on a
Mission of mercy only to have it collapse around me, and I am a
Rescue worker risking my life to save lives who is very aware that I
May not make it out alive.
May I rest in peace
I am a survivor who has fled down the stairs and out of the building
To safety who knows that nothing will ever be the same in my soul
Again, and I am a doctor in a hospital treating patients burned from
Head to toe who know that these horrible images will remain in
My mind forever.
May I know peace.
I am a resident in an apartment in downtown New York who has been
Forced to evacuate my home and I am a resident in an apartment
Uptown who has walked 100 blocks home in a stream of other refugees.
May I know peace.
I am a family member who has just learned that someone I love has
Died, and I am a pastor who must comfort someone who has suffered a
Heartbreaking loss.
May I know peace.
I am a frightened city dweller who wonders whether I'll ever feel
Safe in a skyscraper again, and I am a pilot who wonder whether
There will ever be a way to make the skies truly safe.
May I know peace.
I am a terrorist whose hatred for America knows no limit and I am
Willing to die to prove it, and I am a terrorist sympathizer standing
With all the enemies of American capitalism and imperialism, and I am
A master strategist for a terrorist group who planned this
Abomination. My heart is not yet capable of openness,
tolerance, and
Loving.
May I know peace.
I am a citizen of the world glued to my television set, fighting back
My rage and despair at these horrible events, and I am a person of
Faith struggling to forgive the unforgivable, praying for the
consolation of those who have lost loved ones, calling upon the
merciful beneficence of God/Yahweh/Allah/Spirit/Higher Power,
May I know peace.
I am a child of God who believes that we are all children of God and
We are all part of each other.
May we all know peace. |
