Cranes

Here there is sun on the floor.
If you pronounce proper nouns
To remember suffering,

Remember where it happened,
Who fought and who died and who
Among you was innocent,

Might you not be adding on
New wings to the edifice
Of names crushing all of us,

Including the commoner
Names and nouns near the ground floors?
Righteousness is a nice word,

One that plays well with others
As a word, adding passion,
A bit of lift to phrases—

Righteous anger has a strength
And beauty naked anger
Can never muster. And yet.

The sun moves across the floor
Of this room near the bottom
Of history’s growing wings.