I woke up this morning
In a world I did not know
Where fantasy and reality collide
Where ash falls down like snow

Darkness fell upon the city
A nation under siege
Within the hearts of many
The sadness floods like a sea

The world reacts in horror
Save some the rise up with glee
At the destruction of human life
It pains my heart to see

Punishment must be rendered
The guilty must account
But let us not blame for blames sake Lest guilt be placed on us

Fear surrounds us all today
It seems like endless night
We seek to find lost safety
We search to find the light

Fear not, there is light out there
Burning red, white and blue
As the phoenix rises from the ash
So the eagle rises too

We must in the soul remember
And in the heart grieve
And within the country move forward
Living in the land of the free

This poem is to all of us, as we are all touched by this tragedy. To the families of the victims, my prayers and heart are with you.

Jeffrey Hale
sociology junior