It has been 20 years since the towers fell. Two decades to mourn

Two decades to heal,

But the scars run just as deep as they did twenty years prior.

Just as deep as the wounds that bleed into our streets

Just as deep as the trench that divides us

But who are we if not divided?

Twenty years ago fear tied knots around our hearts.

Pulled tightly with each headline

Twenty years ago revenge was a fire flicking off the flash of our teeth

Twenty years ago our friends, our neighbors, our loved ones watched as the nation trudged through the five stages of grief.

But we never finished

Never made it past the lucky number four

We got lost in our minds

Lost in the darkness without a candle to light the way home.

Depression was the word we taught our children to explain the new normal.

The new scent that hung in the breeze

The smog that coated our streets

But the towers are gone

The dust has settled and the rubble has been removed

We hold only the memories now.

It’s ok to be sad

It’s ok to be angry or hurt or vengeful

But the night never lasts forever

The sun will always chase the moon

It’s forbidden lover

Lost in a cycle of follow the leader

To rupture the night

To break through the darkness

And begin a new day.

So when your towers fall,

When your world crashes down at your feet,

Write your headlines

Fight your battles

Mourn for what has been lost

But never give up hope.

Wipe the rubble away

Let the sun dry your tears

And when the dust finally settles

Today is a new day.