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Shattered Illusions

Innocents' End

By Ruben WillisPublished 6 years ago 1 min read
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It was a late summer morning

when the world changed forever.

Images of unexpected horror

from our greatest city,

dispelling our national sense

of moral, technological invulnerability.

Only our eldest could remember

the feeling of shocked violation

when an enemy struck directly

at us in our own territory.

Four crashed airliners,

two collapsed towers,

like a suspense-thriller scenario

starring Dirk Pitt or Jack Ryan,

but all too real the terror.

No longer could we say

terrorists were something

that only attacked others.

From that day onward,

every weaponized immigrant,

every school shooting,

every act of mass murder

leapt full-formed into possibility.

Never again would we be

the innocent dreamers

of our Forefathers' Dream.

Now, the Tree of Liberty

was watered with our life's blood,

and we weren't sure

we liked the price we paid.

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About the Creator

Ruben Willis

I am a published poet, father, gamer, aspiring full-time writer, husband and caregiver. Clearly, never enough free time. :p

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