One Woman's September 11th Reaction
When I woke that morning
it was not to light, nor to birds chirping
No, that morning I woke
to the Towers
falling
all around me,
everything falling...
I already detested the 11th of each month,
my own son died two and a half years ago
on the 11th after
falling
dead on my bladder
cord accident
in the 39th prenatal week
they called him a "stillborn fetus"
not a "child"
but my son was dead all the same...
And now that morning
of this 11th day
the falling was happening all over
NY and DC and PA
and my heart caught
with the knowing of all that those families now face,
the never ending process of grief
and my heart caught
because I knew some who were there
or suppose to be there-- it took a full day to find out
Steven, Anthony, Andrew all in Midtown, not Downtown,
Bonnie and Lou were in Aspen,
Christy was in Memphis,
Mike was just out from the subway
on the street looking up when the 2nd plane hit
and my heart caught
when I learned that he was okay
but in shock
covered in soot
with hundreds of others
who were told to "go home"
with no way to get home
except to walk
40, 50 blocks
uptown
across bridges
briefcases still in hand
no one talking
no one looking back...
I woke that morning
to hear the world
falling
down around us
hearts and buildings breaking
survivors making their way
one soot covered foot
in front of the other
back home
away from shock
into grief...
forever dreading
the 11th of each month
just as I do.
Dedicated to those whose lives were taken on
September 11, 2001
and to Dakota Jones whose life ended on March 11, 1999.
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