An Empty Bench

Today
there is an empty bench
where someone should be sitting.
Instead
there's a name on a monument
that is said to be befitting.
Today
there is an empty bench
that's void of conversation.
Instead
it stands in solitude
in remembrance of the devastation.
Today
there is an empty bench
that used to seat a working crowd.
Instead
it is a sacred shrine
to what will never again be allowed.
Today
there is an empty bench
where friends would surely have met.
Today
is September 11th,
a day we will Never Forget.