Oklahoma City Memorial

 

On a silent field where the building stood

Stand one hundred sixty-eight chairs.

One for each adult who was in the building that day,

One for each child. Their lives stopped there. 

The gates of time mark the minute and hour

When the bomb detonated, releasing such power.

The western gate displays the time of 9:03

The time of innocence lost in this Oklahoma city.

A time when folks came forward from everywhere,

To help those who were hurt and to lend a prayer.

To help the world move forward, such a positive sign. 

We remember each life lost when each chair shines. 

My visit to the memorial and to the museum in Oklahoma City touched my heart. Of course I clearly remember the images of the bombing that inundated the news. I remember hearing the stories. Those images were practically burned into my retina, and one can't forget such horror. I appreciated learning the story behind the memorial; about how hundreds of Oklahoman's came together to bring a vision to a finished, meaningful memorial.