The Day the Earth Stood Still
I remember stepping out of the shower
images on the television, a building engulfed in flames.
Thought it was coming attractions of “Collateral Damage”
a movie discussed earlier,
the screams of Katie Couric told me otherwise.
Wrapped in a towel, staring at the images, mind so filled with horror
no discernible words formed.
Dressing robotically, confused as to what I was seeing
the second plane confirmed the intent.
I remember radio voices,
Scott and Todd, reporting what they were hearing
and seeing – voices choked with shock –
in Dr.Uray’s office – the nurses were weeping and trembling
all with children somewhere in the city.
We listened to Todd, or maybe it was Scott, wail in disbelief as the first tower
fell to earth, Dr. Uray corralled her staff – saying they must do their job in times of war, her face grave with past remembrance, her mouth set in a line of determination.
I remember calling the office to say I couldn’t possibly come in,
my boss Morgan said many were leaving anyway,
others sat silent in the conference room,
soundless except for whispered descriptions for those without sight,
of the unfolding results of incomprehensible acts.
Later would come the stories of Michael Hingson and his guide dog Roselle – escaping from the dust, debris and chaos, but that day, we saw nothing but death and destruction.
I remember going to my sister Theresa’s house
she hadn’t heard from her husband, a supervisor at UPS, who often subbed for drivers on the World Trade Center Route.
The kids trickled home from school , we tried to shield the youngest, Robert,
Through many many anxious hours before his father walked in the door.
I remember going home to my house,
my daughter Annemarie and my son Roy Michael, on the deck
surrounded by football players and cheerleaders
silent and subdued they clung to each other powerlessly,
all knowing someone with someone in the city.
I worried about my oldest, on campus at Montclair University,
no phone calls would connect.
The greatest fear of a mother is to be separated from her children in a calamity or disaster. Without her home where I could see, her, touch her – was unbearable, on a day where all was unbearable.
I remember from a high point in Monroe,
a place now covered with a gated community,
we saw the smoke pluming miles into the sky
– a sky devoid of air traffic of any kind – creating a deafening silence the seemed to halt the Earth in its rotation, hold it motionless in orbit, rendering us unable to draw a breath.
I remember night fell, but it was only darkness; sleep wrenched from it, leaving only nightmares behind.
© 2011 Noreen Braman
1 comment:
You always were talented in your writing, Noreen. Lovely poem.
I was still living in NJ at the time. In a town only 5 miles outside the city. That morning, I was awoken with the words of "One of the the trade tower just fell!" I thought this person was joking, and I reprimanded them, only to find out that it was the truth.
I worked in NYC for 10 years. I knew people that worked on the higher floors. I turned on the t.v. and watched as the second plane hit and cried and prayed.
I later found out that my good friend had phoned in sick that morning, otherwise she wouldn't be here any longer. All of her friends and co-workers perished that she had known for years.
For months we could smell the smoke and see it too, when driving on the highway.
And now it's 10 years later, and it still feels like yesterday in so many ways. The sorrow, especially, when I think of all those souls that suffered and died.
But God doesn't forget. Neither does is vengeance. Eternity is a long time, and evil does not go unpunished. I wouldn't want to be in the terrorists shoes when they have to stand before Him.
But now is a time for remembrance of the souls that perished. And we will never forget them.
God bless America.
~Margie
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