A child asks, what lies beneath the rubble, daddy?

I pray to find the answer.

Where yesterday there were towering skyscrapers,

I ask myself, what lies beneath the rubble?

Beneath the shattered glass, pulverized cement and twisted steel,

What lies beneath the rubble?

Beneath the clouds of dust and the smell of spent jet fuel,

What lies beneath the rubble?

So hard to say it is

Our mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, and children

Who lie beneath the rubble.

My pain says a bit of me and each of us also lies beneath the rubble,

Where surely angels have spread their wings.

Lord, please comfort our heroes

Who lie beneath the rubble.

Whisper sweetly we love them and miss them.

Send their spirits soaring beyond the rubble!

Tell them we know beneath the rubble

Lies the very essence of freedom.

Beneath the ugly rubble lies beauty,

Our lovers, our friends, our comforters, our reasons for being.

So now respectfully salute America’s rubble.

Vow to honor our heroes’ memories.

Treasure them as we treasure freedom itself.

But to our enemies we must say, What rubble?

You think rubble will keep us from living our lives?

Beneath that rubble lies our heart and determination

And your certain defeat!

That is what lies beneath the rubble.

We built a mighty Pentagon,

The ultimate symbol of military might.

An impenetrable fortress

With bands of strength to reject the strongest foe.

A monument to freedom,

Reflecting our iron will to protect it.

We filled our symbol not with bombs or missiles,

But with people, Americans all.

Sadly, their lives were spent not on the battlefield

But when death tumbled in terror from the sky,

Striking and maiming our mighty fortress, ending valiant lives.

We cherish them, their devotion to protect us all,

Their willingness to give their all.

But did it rip our bands of strength,

The metal, steel, cement and glass, all bent and burned?

Was the Pentagon twisted into utter and pitiful defeat?

Hardly.

For it is the people of the Pentagon who make it strong!

Not just the generals, admirals and military heroes,

All Americans.

For the Pentagon is an American symbol,

Not our Flag but,

An impenetrable fortress

With bands of strength to reject the strongest foe.

A monument to freedom,

Reflecting our iron will to protect it.

We are all the people of the Pentagon,

And as we grieve our wounds are healing.

Our strength is not diminished,

But every hour more vibrant and steely,

Evermore determined to mete out justice.

Who out there is ready to meet the people of the Pentagon?

On a bright autumn morn,

They were so ready to fly,

So ready to die!

They had their plans and lives in hand,

They were so ready to fly,

So ready to die!

Soaring to 30,000 feet into the air,

They were so ready to fly,

So ready to die!

Springing from their seats

They were so ready to fly,

So ready to die!

They rushed the cockpit,

They were so ready to fly,

So ready to die!

They took control, and they took the helm,

They were so ready to fly,

So ready to die!

Setting sail for Washington,

They were so ready to fly,

So ready to die!

But soon American heroes sprang from their seats,

They too were ready to fly,

If needed, ready to die!

They rushed the cockpit,

They were ready to fly,

Not wanting more to die!

They took away the plans and took lives in hand

From those who were

So ready to fly,

So ready to die!

They soared not into hell,

But onto heaven’s landing strip.

God saw that through it all,

They were so ready to fly,

So ready to die!

So cherish those, who facing death,

Chose life for their fellow man

And heroically ended their own.

They were so ready to fly,

So ready to die!