September 11: A Poem

Memories
replay across my mind,
videos recorded 14 years ago
when I was sitting
behind the desk in a computer lab.

My stare fixed
upon the computer screen
I watched,
unable to comprehend
the sudden transformation
of my world into chaos.

I remember seeing the smoke.
I remember seeing the towers crumble into dust.
I do not remember which news website I was watching.
I do not remember anything else about that day.

Eventually
I returned home,
parked in my driveway,
went into the house
and turned on the television set,
so that I could,
at least hear,
the news.

I turned up the volume
so that I could hear the news anchor
while I prepared supper
and took my food into the living room
to eat in front of the T.V.
because there was no eating at the dinning room table
that day.

As I write these lines,
I wonder
how long it took
for the shock
to depart.

I can remember,
when my mind went into shock
on September 11, 2001,
but I cannot remember
how many hours
or how many days
the shock lasted.