Introduction Larry sent me these very personal and emotional works shortly after Sept 11th. I wrote to him expressing my heart felt sorrow for the people of New York and Washington DC. Larry was native to New York City, and it is a city he loves. Larry responded with poetry. Larry Jaffe is a poet of the people, this is not clich'e. He writes for the love of mankind, for the deeper understanding of humanity. Larry currently hosts Poetry readings at the Autry Museum, Another West: Poets From Our Community . Each month featuring a different theme focussing on the "Spirit of Community". He organised the United Nations: Dialogue Through Poetry Week globally in 2001 and is putting together the next for 2002. Larry has the credentials to be called a peoples poet. These works are truely poignant, disturbing and ultimately deeply personal. They challenge US involvement in Afganistan and reason; is US foriegn policy truely blameless? Do not judge these works as mere Poetry or Prose. These are works of the rawest emotion. Important ; written during a time when our world was changed -- forever. Lest we forget the lives lost at the Pentagon and  World trade centre, on September 11th 2001 Doug Poole March 11th 2002

Did they deserve to die? He was more concerned that it happened on his watch than it hapened. But thier voices were shattered in flight. There is no escaping this horror as tombstones rained from the sky. I cannot sing along to the tune of television sets spouting the news. Only Miles playing Kind of Blue seems to do any good. His horn gives my solitude a reason to survive. I watched cartoons all night. I can handle the violence in cartoons it does not hurt for long. Some of the pieces will never go back together. Last night at 3 am I went outside. It was quiet. I looked up at the moon. I realized long ago that it was not made out of green cheese. I thought it was full now it looks like someone took a bite out of it. The comparison was ugly. In the essential Universe, it is friends that count not institutions or grants or anything else, is my final thought, it is friendship that matters only. Dying with dignity: They held hands leaping from exploding mausoleum. 80 stories is just enough time to tell someone you love them. I am struck by the idea that we must not be isolationists even in our own backyard so we must reach out and greet every nieghbour that crosses our path. I am past shock and feel I must write in symbols because words will never work again. I think today that the shock has worn off some. The reality is setting in rather intensely... I am not trying to make sense of anything. We will be looking over our shoulders for a long time. I will not stand cowering with others alone candle in hand showing solidarity to what. I will kiss passing woman and hug men. I want to do something that is real. I will tell you this, I think war is an abomination but were someone attacking you. I would shoot the motherfucker dead. Just like that, without a second thought. Period. Will the makers of American flags make a profit today, aong with the candle makers? I still listen to Miles Davis... He seems to be the only one who can talk to me. The news is not telling me anything new. I want to be told they caught the bastards that did this. This is all I want to hear. Better yet, I want to wake up and see the twin towers. But I know that is not the answer how do we embrace the enormity of this massacre. Tough Job. Big Mad I am working up a Big Mad. I do not know that it will ever be unleashed I just know that it is working like hot embers inside me. I think for me, the United States ended in last years election. Even with all my rebeliousness, I knew I was American. I do not know how to understand all this. I feel for the people of New York; the real people, so much. I am from New York. I also felt for the people of Belgrade and Iraq. Again the real people In this war that is being fought, it is the real people who are being killed. The people are no longer the government anywhere. Polititians and corporations whose only interest is power, run us.. I am not my government. It is not my country right or wrong I am simply trying to make sense of the nonsensible. It was not Arabs or Afganistanians who have done this to us. It was done by criminals who at one time were financed by us. I hear people say we should bomb them back to yesteryear. Don't they realise we don't know who they are. I hear people say look what America has done, with colonization of the world, But I look into the eyes of the people of New York and I want to scream at them that they don't know shit. They are not in New York now or from New York. America, it is hard because our hands are simply not clean. Our arrogance often gets in the way, but Our hearts are so big, of that there is no question. We are not our Government. Sometimes I don't even know if our government is ours anymore. All works copyright .

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Larry Jaffe, U.S.A