Give me a heart to hang on to

I guess it was on the national news.

Downtown Bozeman exploded. There was a gas leak, and an explosion that was felt a mile away.

The detonation levelled almost an entire block.

Thank goodness that it happened at 8 a.m.

Thank goodness.

The leak originated in the nicest restaurant in town, Boodles.

It took out the college bar next door, The Rocking R. It took out the art gallery on the other side.

It also blew out the businesses on either side; a deli, a clothing store, etc.

It blew the windows out of all the businesses on either side of the street for blocks around.

If the explosion had happened at noon, hundreds of people would have died.

As it was, only one person died.

She worked in the art gallery next door. She was friends with many friends of mine. Every day, she used to go to her gallery at 8 and do some business before her 9 a.m. yoga class.

Her car was parked out front, and the phones started ringing off the hook.

Her mom was frantically trying to find her, We knew. Her car was parked out front. Her store was rubble, and she didn't... appear. It became clear rather quickly that it was a matter of time.

At the time, I happened to be snowboarding in 2 feet of powder, during what would was the best day we have had for the last several years,

Shortly, we realized something was wrong. Carp called me from Eau Claire, Wisconsin. Josh called from Madison. Dave called from New York.

It made national news.

But only one person died, so it faded from national consciousness quickly.

Because, who cares about Bozeman, Montana?

11 people were initially missing, but slowly, one by one, they all were "accounted for," except one.

The detonation levelled downtown.

You can't feel the same. It won't get any easier. You can't share in it, because you couldn't understand. Only 35,000 people live here and, for all intents and purposes, a bomb went off in the heart of this valley.

I don't really expect you to give a shit.

Who am I to talk?

In case you missed the point...