168 EMPTY CHAIRS

There are 168 empty chairs.

There are 168 empty chairs in a field of green

Between two giant marble gates that say 9:02 and 9:03 a.m.

149 large chairs for adults.

19 small chairs for children,

Including a bloody, battered baby girl,

Who gasped her last breath

Cradled in her firefighter would-be savior's arms.

Flowers, mementos, pictures of lost loved ones

Hang on the fence around the memorial.

Nearby a bandaged teddy bear hangs

Three band-aids on its tiny chest.

Remnants of buildings

Bomb-broken shards of glass cling to blown-out window frames,

Surrounded by green, leaf-covered trees swaying in the Oklahoma breeze.

Across the way, a lone tree stands bent

Against the backdrop of the deserted Business Journal building.

A spray-painted message on the wall behind the tree.

"Team 5

4-19-95

We search for the truth.

We seek justice.

The courts require it.

The victims cry for it.

And God DEMANDS it!"

(3-21-2001)