Scene 6

He first became aware of it while on the phone with his uncle. He was wishing his dead dad’s twin a happy 57th and talked with him for an hour and a half.

He mentioned to his uncle that his friend had just returned from Haiti. He was interrupted.

“Oh! Do you know about what’s going on there?”

“No,” he replied, assuming it was US-induced political upheaval.

“A huge earthquake. 7.5”

Later he is watching it on the news and remembers how September 11th happened on TV.

It started, for him, on the radio.

He picked it up an hour later on the Today Show

after they realized it was no mistake and the

newscaster declared, “This is an act of war.”

And all morning the video rolling in;

of the impact

of smoke plume

of the towers falling

of the debris tumbling through the

streets of Manhattan like a gray river in a blue canyon.

of the flying people

the jumping people

the falling people.

The on-looker gasping “Oh my God!”

All day long like that until he didn’t know what to do.

And at night, when the President was safe,

and the reporters and firemen agreed,

they could see it

A cathedral in Hell.

He left the room but couldn’t turn off the TV.

Exhausted, he slept like he never had,

but wondered, in the morning if he really did

have a vision of the master-terrorist the year before.

(Really, he had.)

And the next day, because his dad had the afternoon off, they went to lunch at a chain on City Line.

He remembers how three older men agreed that there were Palestinians on the planes.

But it was a relief because of the effusive sunshine.

So now, listening to the voice of his uncle-

At times it sounds so close to his dad’s, yet is

so discernibly different that the absence

is clear.

So now, he wants simply to remember

the details of September Twelve

so the effusive sunshine

can dry out the bleak mid-winter.

“Happy birthday to you.

Happy birthday to you.

Happy birthday

Dear Uncle.

Happy birthday to you.”