Nous sommes tous Américains
-September 13 th 2001
The morning of September 11 th 2001,
was a beautiful day,
light and fresh,
blue skies.
I was on vacation,
and asleep,
when the first plane,
went into,
the first tower.
My ex woke me,
she called,
and asked,
what I was doing,
so I told her,
‘sleeping’,
not really annoyed,
but,
still kind of sleepy,
‘someone flew a plane into the World Trade Center’
and I said,
‘an accident?’
‘No, it doesn’t look like it’
I went and turned on the television,
CNN,
will be best,
I thought.
I watched with horror,
the second plane,
and later still,
the Towers come,
crashing down,
everything was grey,
and,
dust.
I watched it all day,
and the,
next,
I was freaked,
how could this happen.
I thought of all the people,
wiped out,
people like me,
who worked,
in offices,
in cubeville.
I cried,
a few times,
for the people,
and the brave,
firemen.
My brothers,
and,
sisters.
I had no hate,
only grief,
how could people do this?
These weren’t leaders,
they were assasinating,
these were regular,
Joes and Janes.
I’ll never forget,
how I felt,
where I was,
what I saw.
I still don’t believe,
some of the things,
people say,
about this,
American agression is responsible,
and that kind of stuff,
the fact is hate,
and religion,
and power,
and it’s abuses,
are responsible,
and the victims,
were,
as usual,
just,
people.
I remember them.
Peace.
Later girls,
BB
This is a really sweet post. This American thanks you.
Thanks and you’re welcome:-)
It is amazing how there are some events which become touchstones in our lives. On 9/11/01 I was on my way to Memorial park to run. I was listening to NPR. When the first plane went into the Trade Center, the announcer thought that it was an accident. I listened as I parked my car then I went in to the park tennis center to use the restroom before my run. Folk were standing around a small black and white TV talking about the ‘accident’. I stopped for a moment and agreed with everyone that it was ‘Awful’. Then I used the facilities, put on my headphones and and went out for my run.
After my run, I got back in my car only to find NPR still on! “Cool!” I thought. “Our station has finally gotten some better programing!” After 9 am Houston’s NPR was always simply classical music. But then I actually started to listen and I realized that not only hadn’t the first plane crash been an accident, but a second one had crashed into the other Tower. OMG! Who would do that?! I got home, turned on the TV–I’m not sure of the channel b/c here in the U.S. there was only one thing…
Like everyone, I watched all day. I called family and friends to make sure they were OK–we didn’t know if we would be attacked more, or where the attacks were coming from. We wanted to do something, but WHAT? So I/we sat and watched and cried…
Even given the fanfare of this 10th anniversary, it has become easy to put this terrible moment out of mind, thanks BB for your touching reminder that we weren’t alone in our grief, that folk everywhere felt our horror and pain.
We really are all Americans when it comes to that horrible day.