Two Poems For Remembering...by Maureen Eich VanWalleghan

A selection from “The Sky Is Falling” poetry collection

The Sky Is Falling

“The sky is falling, the sky is falling” said Henny Penny

as black smoke filled the air.

Thousands dead, maybe more, no count set.

“The sky is falling, the sky is falling” said Henny Penny

to Lucky Ducky who saw the news.

Tons of steel came crashing down and my students saw it too.

“The sky is falling, the sky is falling” said Henny Penny

whispering quietly to herself.

If only I had a husband, he’d know what to do.

“The sky is falling, the sky is falling” said Henny Penny

to Lucy Goosey when she phoned.

“Please call my family. The lines are jammed. I’m not getting through.”

“The sky is falling, the sky is falling” said Henny Penny

as she listened to the radio.

Said Guiliani “Even in these tragic times, we must not act with dread.”

“The sky is falling, the sky is falling” said Henny Penny

as she tried to fall asleep.

The fascists are near. The fascists are here in choppers overhead.

“The sky is falling, the sky is falling” said Henny Penny

to Foxy Loxy in her dream.

I cry, I wake, I don’t know what to take…I’m hiding alone in my bed.

“The sky is falling, the sky is falling” said Henny Penny

anxiously to her father.

“I don’t know if I’ll leave, I have job. We’ll have to wait and see.”

“The sky is falling, the sky is falling” said Henny Penny

as her mother remembered the story.

They all got ate by the fox; how can that be?

“The sky is falling, the sky is falling” said Henny Penny

crying alone in her bed.

It’s a day of infamy, but where does that leave me?

—Maureen Eich VanWalleghan © 2011

They All Fall Down

Airplanes fly.

Skyscrapers stand.

Crash them together,

where do they land?

Ashes, ashes,

we all fall down.

Electricity moves

through forests and streams

and weaves it’s way

into living room screens.

Ashes, ashes,

we all fall down.

Who were these men

we don’t understand,

willing to die for their god

in a foreign land?

Ashes, ashes,

we all fall down.

People mourn. A country cries

How will it end?

With a show of force

in the bombers we send?

Ashes, ashes,

we all fall down.

This moment changes our lives.

We watch, we pray

but we just can’t make

this horrible event go away.

Ashes, ashes,

we all fall down.

Airplanes fly.

Skyscrapers stand.

Crash them together,

where do they land?

Ashes, ashes,

they all fall down.

—Maureen Eich VanWalleghan © 2011