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The Chip Board Archive 05

A POEM [NCR]

This from one of my young nephews in sorrow walking the streets of Manhattan where smoke and ash filled the air. Some may not agree with it but it is from a young person seeing an abomation beyond his worst dreams and is his very personal response.

The smoke and ash of a massive funeral pyre where thousands upon thousands of voices suddenly cried out at once...

Who tore down New York?
How come we died and
what's the reason for it?

Not I, says the politician
I'm ready with my ammunition
I've got a global resolution
and a pocket full of absolution
Don't point your little finger at me
I'm from the land of the brave and the free
No it aint me that made em fall
You can't blame me at all

Who tore down New York?
How come we died and
what's the reason for it?

Not I says the angry crowd
whose slogans fill the streets aloud
who say too bad they died that way
but the US deserves it anyway
No it aint me that made em fall
You can't blame me at all

Who tore down New York?
How come we died and
what's the reason for it?

Not I says the general
puffing on his big cigar
it's hard to say it's hard to face
always thought that we were safe
too bad for the families
but we'll get revenge on the Middle East
No it aint me that made em fall
You can't blame me at all

Who tore down New York?
How come we died and
what's the reason for it?

Not I says the media man
sitting in his TV van
say the media's not to blame
like him and her we're all the same
says Rhetoric is here to stay
it's just the old American Way
No it aint me that made em fall
You can't blame me at all

Who tore down New York?
How come we died and
what's the reason for it?

Not I says the innocent bystander
I'm just a Manhattan Islander
lost a Brother lost a Friend
what did I do to deserve this end?
you can keep your anger
you can keep you war
don't bring it to me my front door
No it aint me that made em fall
You can't blame me at all

Who tore down New York?
How come we died and
what's the reason for it?

Not I says the school teacher
the priest, the rabbi and the preacher
taught the children right from wrong
better than their Dads and Moms
it must have been the devil's fists
that laid em down in a cloud of mist
we can't say Murder we can't say Kill
if we retaliate it's just God's will
No it aint me that made em fall
You can't blame me at all

Who tore down New York?
How come we died and
what's the reason for it?

- Brian Hallett, Manhattan, 12th September, 2001


Copyright 2022 David Spragg