He was last seen
On the mezzanine
Of the World Trade Center North,
When the Southern Tower
Let go the power
Stored in ten-plus-a-hundred floors.
And the windows blew
As the blast came through
And blew people across the floor.
And they couldn't hear
Thorough the deafened ears
That had heard that awful roar.
And they couldn't see,
But powdered debris,
That hung thick and choked their air.
But Tim thought he knew,
John would make it through,
As he groped his way out of there.
John Perry was
An active sort,
Who circum-swam Manhattan
Island for sport.
Tall, strong, handsome, and smart,
A fun-loving guy,
Ask the women who knew him,
Or wanted to try.
Five languages,
He fluently spoke.
He'd loan you money,
If you were broke.
Civil Liberties for all,
He sought to provide,
As a policeman,
And from the inside.
To foster awareness,
He sought communion,
Between cops, and the Civil
Liberties Union.
As a CLU lawyer,
And a volunteer,
He defended the rights
That he felt should be clear.
Promoting those rights,
With efforts so hearty,
As part of the town's
Libertarian Party.
Gun rights were important;
He sought to protect them,
Gun rights defenders -
He worked to elect them.
And with rights he sought duties;
Take this as indicia:
His Captaincy,
In New York State's Militia.
Medical Marijuana;
Arrested Rabbi;
It might hurt John's career,
But John did testify.
To ingest what we choose,
A right John respected,
And he did what he could,
To see it protected.
He always had courage,
To try something new.
A job as a lawyer,
He'd try that now too.
Though wrenching to leave,
The job he so cared for;
Representing the injured,
Was what he'd prepared for.
He came to Police Plaza,
He was there to retire,
When the call came: "World Trade Center,
Struck, and on fire."
He and Captain Tim Pearson,
They rushed to the site,
Into that burning building,
To do what they might.
An asthmatic woman
Collapsed. In John's arms,
John went to carry her,
Clear of all harm….
When the Southern Tower
Let go its power
And propelled its dust storm forth.
He was last seen
On the mezzanine
Of the World Trade Center North.
Copr. 2001 Chris Garvey
