Tuesday, and after: 2009

The Story Ben Told Me: June 2002
       9/12 what happened to the children?

I was at my friend’s house
and the wolf came
and blew it down.

But we ran to my house
so it was okay.

Then the wolf came to my house
and blew it down
but we ran to the grocery store
so it was okay.

The grocery store had
plenty of food.
Lots of people were there.

Then the bad guys came and
they set the store on fire.
We were really scared.

But we got out
and then we were trying
to run across the street
and a truck hit my friend.
I was crying and
screaming for my mom.
Then she came
and she’s an ER doctor
so she saved him
and everything was okay.

Then what? We were cradled
in the back seat of the Caravan,
the two of us sheltered in the filtered light
of the flag decals taped over the windows,
his friend’s uncle sheltered
by the yellow ribbon
Ben put on the bumper himself.

It just goes on like that
for a long time, he said,
and then we were needed
for the chorus of the family sing along.