Saturday, September 11, 2010

In Remembrance - September 11, 2010


September 11, 2010

In Remembrance


Where have the years gone? It hardly seems possible that nine years have passed
since the early morning hours when I woke up to get ready for work and watched the
news of the first airliner crashing into the World Trade Center in New York City. Then,
as I watched, stunned, a second plane, hit the second of the Twin Towers, killing all on
board the airliner and many of the workers in the building. It took two hours for both
buildings to fall, destroying several other buildings. Counting the other two airliners,
the deaths at the Pentagon, and the 19 highjackers, the death toll rose to almost three
thousand. The majority of the victims were civilians and came from seventy different
countries.

A total of 411 first responders died in their efforts to rescue victims and to fight the
fires resulting from the attack.

According to Wikipedia, the U. S. government determined that al-Qaeda, headed by
Osama bin Laden, bore responsibility for the attacks, with the FBI stating "evidence
linking al-Qaeda and bin Laden to the attacks of September 11 is clear and irrefutable."

There are hundreds of articles that have been written about the aftermath and sequelae of
the 9-11 attacks on the Twin Towers. In my lifetime, I don't think any single event has
had such a profound effect on me. It has certainly had a major impact on our lives, on our
sense of freedom, on the way we travel, and has made us feel vulnerable in our world.

Our men and women serving in our Armed Forces have been sent to Iraq and Afghanistan
to try to make our country safe and to keep another 9-11 from taking place on American
soil.


On September 11, 2002, I wrote a poem called, "In Remembrance." Here it is.


In Remembrance


 
A year ago, this day began,
Like any other day,
With people racing off to work,
And kids sent out to play.


Students headed off to school,
Cars stalled in long commutes,
Early morning flights took off,
Men donned their business suits.


In the vilest act of hatred,
Terrorism reared its head,
Changing the lives of Americans,
Leaving countless people dead.

The world watched in amazement,
As American symbols fell,
With thousands of innocent people,
Plunged into living hell.


On that fateful day, we felt,
Unity and a sense of pride,
As heroes combed the ashes,
All differences put aside.


We bonded as a nation,
And showed how much we care,
Fighting threats of terrorists,
On our soil - and everywhere.


We will never be the same again,
But our healing has begun,
As America remembers this saddest day,
God bless us every one.


Carmen Henesy 9-11-2002


Copyright © 2002 Carmen Henesy.
All Rights Reserved.


This was written on the first anniversary of the horrible events of September 11, 2001













14 comments:

  1. Carmen

    Thanks for publishing and sharing your 911 poem on this day to remember. Many of my friends were lost that day, as were the brave soles trying to save them. Its a day we must never forget.

    JL ......

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  2. Carmen, thank you for sharing. I need to read all of these Peep-thoughts today, in order to keep the memory green. Bless you.

    Here is my own
    REMEMBRANCE

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  3. God bless the earth.. beautiful dedication!

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  4. we must remember, even if it is so horrifying.....

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  5. Anonymous7:50 AM

    i feel for you and for all those who lost so much on this day that changed the world.

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  6. Hi Carmen! I’m back!! One week off, one week to deal with the mess created by the absence, a birthday almost no one noticed and a weekend to rest a little bit...

    Lovely post and poem!!

    Meanwhile Blogtrotter Two is enjoying a fabulous hotel: the Cala di Volpe in Costa Smeralda!! Enjoy, comment and have a great weekend!

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  7. nice poem
    Bush is the leader because of whom there is no terror attack on USA.
    See in India we do not have leadership of Bush so we have every day somewhere terror attack in India.

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  8. Thanks for your remembrance and tribute. It sure did change things for a lot of people.

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  9. Anonymous5:42 PM

    A felt measurement of time and life. Please have a good Sunday and thank you very much for your kind comments.

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  10. We were watching Nat Geo yesterday, and I was crying; the people and the events of 9/11 are all so heartbreaking and heartwarming and touching and inspiring... very moving, really. Thank you for sharing such a poem, Carmen! ♥

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  11. Beautifully expressed Carmen

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  12. John Lottery -
    I knew no one killed on 9-11. I am sad that you do. It must be a really hard anniversary for you, then, and my thoughts are with you.


    steveroni -
    Your 9-11 tribute was most beautiful. It brought tears to my eyes.


    Priyanka Bhowmick -
    No matter where in the world we live, I think the senseless loss of lives on 9-11-2001, has meaning to us. Terrorism impacts us all.


    Susan Erikson -
    9-11 is one of those days embedded in my mind like the day Kennedy was asassinated.


    Kamana -
    I hope the future becomes better for the young people of today but I worry that it will not.


    Trotter -
    I wish you a belated happy birthday! 9-11 certainly had a major impact, at least in the U. S., on the ease of travel. Will check out the latest posts from Blogtrotter Two. I need a trip.


    Sharkbytes -
    I still cannot get over how these terrorists managed to fell the Twin Towers - and in such a rapid fashion. Such brilliance could have been put to use for the good of humanity instead.


    ρομπερτ -
    You are there, where so much of the world's history has evolved, where so much of mankind's brilliance and teaching have flowed. I was always in awe when I was in Athens. But Greece, too, was constantly at war. How do we stop all the fighting?


    C -
    Glad you liked my 9-11 poem, C. I remember writing on that first anniversary when it was all so fresh in my mind...but, even today, it is still there. I guess that kind of trauma just stays with you. Also, actually seeing that second plane crash, as it happened, was so unbelievable.


    Retiredandcrazy -
    "In Remembrance" was one of the most serious poems I've ever written...too sad.

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  13. what a lovely tribute. your poem is very touching.

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  14. No Carmen, it doesn't seemed possible that it has been nine years. But then again, look at me now, what was I like nine years ago? Not blogging for sure. Smiles. A very nice post in remembrance of 9/11.

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