I guess everyone remembers where they were when they heard the terrible news of when two aeroplanes crashed into the world trade centre. Today of course is the anniversary of that tragic and needless event that made the world a different place and lit the fuse for unimaginable conflict in the Middle East too. I heard the news from my wife who called me on my mobile while I was walking through Wales with a friend and his dog, tracing the path of the River Severn. We had to make a diversion for a while, and join the river at a different point, and I can remember clearly how beautiful and breath taking it looked as we suddenly walked through a coppice and began to descend into the valley below, where the sun sparkled on the river and made one feel grateful just to be there and see it. Sarah rang me from the school where she taught, and said that parents were arriving to pick up their kids telling horrendous stories of a tower or something in America that had been hit by an aeroplane. Sure enough when we eventually reached a small town and stopped at a pub for some refreshment, the bar was crowded with people staring disbelievingly as those now iconic images of the two planes crashing into the towers were played over and over again. This is the poem I wrote that night when we arrived at our guest house.
AUTUMN IS COMING
The wind is keen
And the sky is bright and clear
The fields around are as green as Eden
The leaves on the trees in the nearby coppice
Tinkle a dry song
Apprehensive of the coming autumn fall
As I turn the bend over the hill
The river suddenly comes into sight
And it’s beautiful
The sun has dropped diamonds on the surface
And the river dazzles
Takes my breath away
Makes me stop and gaze
And be thankful that I am here
Feeling the wind blow around my head
Hearing the trees whispering their autumn song
Feeling the damp grass
Carpet my way down to the valley floor
To the banks of the flowing river
And I say to myself
Remember this moment
Remember where you are and how you feel
Remember how the wind blows around your head
How the trees sound as they sway slowly in the distance
How the grass feels like a carpet beneath your feet
Remember how normal and unique this moment is
How nature still endures
And surprises us with its magical paint box
Studding a river with jewels
Stopping a man in his tracks
Making him gaze with wonder and gratitude
Remember
For moments like these are as rich and rare
As a pearl rescued from the bottom of a cold, deep sea
Because the world is a different place now
And will never be the same again
Two aeroplanes
Two towers
And the world has changed
From across the sea
Thousands of miles from here
Where the trees whisper
And the wind makes the grass dance
Thousands of miles from here
Where a river in a valley shines like a rope of light
Far from here
Where the landscape breathes peace into the air
Far from here
A City is bleeding
Children are crying
Dust is falling
Their parents are dying
Autumn is coming
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