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Poem by Thich Nhat Hanh

Author	Bob Kinsey
Date	01/10/04/15:29
Hit Count	727

Thought you find some peace in this poem/prayer

REST IN PEACE
by 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 terrified passenger on a hijacked airplane not knowing where we are going
or that I am riding on fuel tanks that will be instruments of death, and

I am a worker arriving at my office not knowing
that in just a moment my future will be obliterated.

May I rest in peace.

I am a pigeon in the plaza between the two towers
eating crumbs from someone's breakfast when fire rains down on me from the skies, and

I am a bed of flowers admired daily by thousands of tourists
now buried under five stories of rubble.

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 knows that these horrible images will remain in my mind forever.

May I know peace.

I am a tourist in Times Square looking up at the giant TV screens
thinking I'm seeing a disaster movie as I watch the Twin Towers crash to the ground, and

I am a New York woman sending e-mails to friends and family
letting them know that I am safe.

May I know peace.

I am a piece of paper that was on someone's desk this morning
and now I'm debris scattered by the wind across lower Manhattan, and

I am a stone in the graveyard at Trinity Church
covered with soot from the buildings that once stood proudly above me, death meeting death.

May I rest in peace.

I am a dog sniffing in the rubble for signs of life,
doing my best to be of service, and

I am a blood donor waiting in line
to make a simple but very needed contribution for the victims.

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 rabbi who must comfort someone
who has suffered a heart-breaking loss.

May I know peace.

I am a loyal American who feels violated and vows to stand behind any military action
it takes to wipe terrorists off the face of the earth, and

I am a loyal American who feels violated and worries
that people who look and sound like me are all going to be blamed for this tragedy.

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 wonders
whether there will ever be a way to make the skies truly safe.

May I know peace.

I am the owner of a small store with five employees
that has been put out of business by this tragedy, and

I am an executive in a multinational corporation
who is concerned about the cost of doing business in a terrorized world.

May I know peace.

I am a visitor to New York City who purchases postcards
of the World Trade Center Twin Towers that are no more, and

I am a television reporter trying to put into words
the terrible things I have seen.

May I know peace.

I am a boy in New Jersey waiting for a father
who will never come home, and

I am a boy in a faraway country rejoicing in the streets of my village
because someone has hurt the hated Americans.

May I know peace.

I am a general talking into the microphones about how we must stop
the terrorist cowards who have perpetrated this heinous crime, and

I am an intelligence officer trying to discern
how such a thing could have happened on American soil, and

I am a city official trying to find ways
to alleviate the suffering of my people.

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.

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