James Hanson

London, July 7, 2005

It's happened again, the early morning fog,
mixed in with smoke that should've never been
there. It was just another day, nothing special
but yet now a day forever imbedded into the hearts
and minds of many like the shrapnel, glass, shards,
and metal debris implanted among those dead,
the hundreds injured and dying. More smoke, choking,
bleeding, screams of pain and horror and always more questions;
Who? What? and ALWAYS the why? Struck down
are the young, the elderly, the poor, the rich, people doing
normal routines but no matter the city, country, or nation,
nothing is normal anymore; just chaos and madness.
Now across the world much fear, anger, and sadness,
is felt now that this has happened again. Today won't end
the way many thought it would; young children
will sit tonight, waiting for their father, waiting for their mother,
maybe waiting for them both, but realizing all too soon
that they will not be coming home; they were more victims
of violence lost to another nation's hate.

---

I wrote this poem on the afternoon of the first and most deadly attacks on London. I saw update after update each hour it seemed and my mind kept thinking of many things: our troops, all the nation's troops in the Middle East, September 11, Madrid last year, and now even as I am writing this I think of the deadly blasts in Egypt. I wrote this poem to show the even bigger tragedy that lies at stake each time one of these attacks are made. Every time insurgents try to rise up and injure more of our soldiers. Sometimes, more than not like the blasts in July that killed 24 people in Iraq, the kids of the world are even brought down. I wrote this as my plea, of sorts, to try and show people why we must unite, must no falter, and stand up against these terrorists, together. They have made it apparent that they are all over our globe sadly. I have heard it said by many people in my short life that "It's all about the children" or "The children are the future." Well is this the world we want them to keep growing up and having to be subject to living in. I would say the answer is no. This is even a plea to the Muslim/Islamic Nations. I understand and I agree that not everyone of this faith are violent terrorists, out to hurt people, that is what saddens me the most. I think they can be the biggest factor in helping to end or at least cut down the amount of attacks by speaking out and speaking up against these "terrorists". I think that they are living in fear and should not live in fear. I believe every country would and should rightly so, back them and stand behind them. We, as America, a country supposed to be founded on freedoms and rights to ensure we are free, do wish and hope sometimes to ensure those same ideas to other nations, only in a way to help people not suffer hardships of any sort. I say this because I know many Muslim/Islamic people might be scared now because of measures in the Homeland Security Act, and maybe even motions and actions of NATO and the United Nations, but future acts and laws and discrimination even, surely could be reduced and stop, just be brave enough to step forward. Each nation look deep into your hearts. Everyone look at your small child if you have one or look at the children on the playground. Look all around you, I know you might see what I see. A chance for change. We must join together and try to be like so many other great leaders of our pasts, from all over the world that did want to try and have a unity, a safer world for the youth to grow up, to go on to succeed and reach all their dreams and goals, just like many of us have been able to do in our lifetime. Abe Lincoln said it best and his quote stands true to this day. "United We Stand, Divided We Fall." Let's work together so we will not fall.

James Hanson
Springfield, MO. United States of America