To the Children of Emma Lazarus

Angie's DIARY | Online Writing Magazine

To the Children of Emma Lazarus

Posted by konradtademar on Sep 18th, 2011 and filed under Poetry. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry

Home >> Poetry >> To the Children of Emma Lazarus

A poem for 9/11

8:46 am
I am standing beneath a dusty sky
The world has suddenly taken a strange twist
Somewhere the inconceivable refuses to die
In Avalon Arthur stirs uneasily in the mist.

9:03 am
I am standing still but my legs begin to buckle and fold
The cold realization of all that has been unseen
All the doom of Revelations that have been foretold
My heart palpitates, palms sweat, I touch the Television screen.

9:37 am
“Give me your tired, your poor…” I will make them proud again
“Your huddled masses…” I will teach them of happiness a measure
“Yearning to be free…” I will be the balsam for their pain
“The wretched refuse…” I will embrace and I will treasure.

9:59 am
My heart is penetrated by shards of steel
I cannot breathe, you have stolen my oxygen from me
My soul is like a Firefighter’s lungs
I am on my knees, begging for the nightmare to drown in the sea.

10:03 am
Though I do not know it yet, I have more strength than anyone thought
I am not a weakling pushover, I am a revolutionary Amazon
This is my land, my hope, my dream, for which I have fought
And it is I who will bring to the world a new dawn.

10:28 am
But the darkness is so overwhelming I am now blind
My chest caved in, my body crushed by blocks of concrete
Of all the unfinished things we have left behind
It is the unsaid goodbyes I will mourn the most, that is true defeat.

September 11, 2011 - Konrad Tademar

Similar posts on this magazine:

Categories: Poetry
Tags: 911, firefighter, NY, USA

1 Response for “To the Children of Emma Lazarus”

Nancy Denofio says:

Monday, November 14, 2011 at 19:04

How brave, true, and universal as we all were touched in one way or another by this day in our life. I thank you for sharing a time we will never forget. Sincerely, Nancy Duci Denofio

Log in to Reply

You must be logged in to post a comment Login

VIP Author Info

konradtademar

Konrad Tademar is the pseudonym of Konrad Raphael Wilk a native-born Los Angeleno of Polish descent. Rather than a nom de plume, it is his nom de guerre because "Freedom of speech is a war against censorship, and poets are the warriors who fight that war on behalf of freedom." – As a young boy Konrad Wilk spent five years living in Poland where he witnessed the rise of the anti-communist Solidarity labor union; he came back to the United States ten days before Martial Law was declared. He has lived most of his life in Hollywood and began to write poetry seriously while at Los Angeles City College while studying Philosophy and Literature where he was president of the Poet's Platform for two years. He went on to graduate from UCLA with a degree in E-Commerce and Business Management. – He has made occasional appearances in coffee houses (such as the Onyx, Ground's Zero in Hollywood, Magicopolis Theater in Santa Monica, and most recently at the Wilshire Art Gallery for the Polish Art Festival where he was also the M.C.). He has been writing poetry continuously now, for over twenty years. – His published poetry books are: "Agrest, and other poems" – "November Sonnets" – "Fifty Sonnets, titles like labels only get in the way..." – "Harlequinade" – "Hope" – "Rose Petal and other ballads." – His current project is “The Myth of Katherione” a philosophical science fiction novel. His first major novel-length work, finished on August 1, 2010 will be made available in 2011 is "Prometheus, the Diary of a Poet." – In 1991 Konrad founded the Witching Hour Poetry Gathering, and has been hosting it ever since. In 2002 Along with a passionate group of artists he founded the Pecan Pie Organization dedicated to art-house film production, stage performances and music videos. – Konrad’s directorial debut is entitled “Garden of Delights,” a film he also produced and wrote. His next films currently in post production are “Gloria Fuerta,” and “Converse.” The next film, currently in development is "Meticulous."