America the Great - A 9/11 Tribute
My mom used to recall the incidents of the day when the news broke that President John F. Kennedy had been assassinated. She knew the details of where she was, what she felt, and even what she was wearing. I’ve heard similar stories from others as well; when something life-changing happens in our world, we tend to remember our life on that given day and how we were living it.
September 11, 2001, was one of those life-changing days. I remember where I was when I heard the news and how I felt watching the world crumble on live TV. I had seen horrible pictures of wars in the past, I had been to the Holocaust museum in Washington D. C., and I had heard war stories from Veterans. But, I had never experienced the destruction of something so prominent in real time. I remember the shock and horror in Peter Jenning’s voice as the second plane pierced the South Tower. Soon thereafter, cameras caught the towers falling and I sat in disbelief, absolute shock.
Life felt slow and numb for a while. I remember a prayer service that my church held the next day and I sat on the floor with a friend and we cried. It felt odd to be alive in some ways. It felt selfish. There had been so many, all at once, that no longer had the privilege of sitting with their family and friends.
San Francisco Chronicle - September 12, 2001
I visited New York City four years after the towers fell and it was still a mess. Letters and trinkets still hung from temporary chain link fences, debris piles were still present, and buildings were still not all demolished. And it felt so still. To stand in a place where so much was lost. To read names of those gone and the signed name at the bottom of the letter of the ones who had loved them. To light candles of remembrance and to watch the tiny flame flicker, a slightly sour memory of deadly fire and explosive ash.
It has been twenty years and I still feel overwhelmed by the memories of the day and the many days after. I recently pulled out a memory box from high school and found the newspaper that my dad had purchased as a historical keepsake for me. It is dated September 12, 2001. And then I found a poem I had written about the attack. I thought I would share this perspective today as a tribute to the 2,996 individuals who lost their lives. There were heroes who sacrificed their all, there were hundreds of grieving families left behind, there was a country that quickly entered a war against terrorism, and there have been soldiers who have fought that fight for two decades since. Today, the world grieves with them.
Attack on America the Great
(written by 17-year-old me)
The day began with the sun rising
Across the Atlantic Ocean blue,
And sweet Lady Liberty proclaimed
Glorious freedom for me and you.
Many awoke and had their coffee
As they took the underground subway-
But as they sat behind their desks
Their glorious building began to sway.
The first tower felt the explosion
As the 757 barreled in its side -
The horror and grief of death
Was immediately felt nationwide.
As people ran for safety
Down the crowded, countless stairs,
The second tower was attacked
Doubling the nation’s cares.
Smoke rose in the summer sky
As the buildings were ablaze -
And sirens rang throughout New York
As the questions began to raise.
Violently, the building dropped
In a cloud of dusty debris,
And the world stared in disbelief,
What happened to our liberty?
As buildings crumbled people,
The Pentagon was under attack-
Another hijacked plane hit
Due to the security lack.
News of another plane gone down,
Somewhere over Pennsylvania land.
It was en route for destruction
Because of terrorist demand.
The horrors on the television
Of ash-covered humans carried out,
The wild screams of frantic voices
Praying to God in the midst of doubt.
The angry cries of a nation
Rang throughout the day
As innocent lives were lost forever
In such a shocking way.
Sadness penetrated our peaceful land
And the world witnessed new hate -
Some unforgivable coward attacked
My nation - America the Great.
A lot changed for all of us on that day. For those of us old enough to remember, we know that every year this date brings a level of numb grief and sadness. While our grief cannot change the circumstances of that day, it does show us that we are moved by human loss. So today, on this twenty-year mark, may we not deny our grief or even our anger, but may we absolutely open ourselves up to the God who heals and redeems. He offers new mercies everyday for every new feeling we encounter along the way.
To the families who lost, to the heroes who served, to the nation that grieves...I will not forget. May God bless you and keep you and pour His favor out on you.
