He didn’t only light a room
He did away with dark
An MBA who sang and danced
I give you my friend, Mark
He capered in a play I wrote
Don’t worry, I won’t quote it
No need to say he played the part
Much better than I wrote it
So gifted that he stood above
But still one of the guys
You knew he heard you with his heart
Because he listened with his eyes
So, when I tell you who he was
Your ears, dear listeners, lend
Executive at Freddie Mac
And husband, father, friend
Then like three thousand others
Who left home unconcerned
He made a trip one fateful day
From which no one returned
Two weeks of doubt
Two weeks of prayer
Please tell me that
He wasn’t there
That somehow from the fire and dust
He got away
He must. He must.
The terror, the disaster
The pain, the loss, the waste
What horror to imagine
The moment that he faced
I know though from the man he was
And by the life he chose
That he, when it was finished,
Instead of falling, rose
Mark Schurmeier 9/11/ Peace Fund
Wake Forest University
Wfu.edu
