Something I wrote on September 17th; I went in and dug it out today, and ended up reading it several times. We aren’t through the darkness yet, so I’m reposting it here as a reminder.
Promise to the Fallen
Darkness devours the sun; the sky throws down
A rain of stones, a snow of ash and pain.
Two mountains fall that were a city’s crown;
And fire devours the star of empire’s reign.
Heroes leap in — this is a hero’s place —
Bring light to darkness, free the trapped and lost,
Move on with name unknown and unseen face,
And in a moment’s horror pay the cost.
In smoke and fires of hell the brave maintain
The search, the fight, the war for others’ sons
And their own lost, caught in this new-born plain;
Scarred earth ungraciously gives back those it has won.We hold you in our hearts, we will not let
Your faces fade; and we will not forget.Holly Lisle
September 17, 2001