September Eleventh of a New Millennium
This glide from the sky has none of the grace
of birds wheeling in flight or leaves breezily spinning,
even though we often see planes that way,
this straight-line trajectory is fueled by hate
and rather than alighting in a nest of care
it strikes through the heart of humanity.

Like the image of bullets striking the head of
Kennedy, we will dream fitfully at night of
planes exploding glass and flame in two towers
that fall with the same dead weight of violence
as a young President toppled backwards into his
limousine. Like dominoes, they are trying

to make us topple, too, into our nightmare
of an eye for an eye. We will fall headlong,
being pushed so, for there is no other way but
down, yet, it can be into the arms of others
where we open our eyes to their bright glance.

Glen Mazis

Infidels

John Timpane
Inquirer Commentary Page Editor

Fallen Sparrow

Osama bin Laden (may his tribe decrease!)
Awoke America from a dream of peace,
To see by the fiery Twin Towers' doom,
Casting a pall of smoke-filled gloom,
A Devil writing in a book of gold.

Exceeding hate had made bin Laden bold.
And to the Devil, America said,
``What writest thou?'' The Devil raised its head,
And with a sneer made of all sour discord
Answered, ``The names of those who loathe the Lord.''

``Is bin Laden one?'' we said. ``Nay, not so,''
Replied the Fiend. America spoke low,
And somberly still; it said, ``I pray you, then,
Write him as one who hates his fellow men.''

The Devil wrote, and vanished. The next night
It came again, in a glare of hellish light,
And showed the names whose hate God did detest,
And lo! Bin Laden's name led all the rest!

Bill Keough

the world on fire
and there is dancing

the world in ash, tearing
rivers in a gray face

the world jumps
clings to ledges

the loud world, big
bang of every universe

the world quiet
listens for breathing

broken-winged, a small
white room, where waiting ends

the world ends every day
begins

Daniel Maguire

A peace of innocence came crumbling down today,
As a new generation will never be the same as before.
Shock and terror overwhelmed many, as safety seemed to slip away.
A peace of innocence came crumbling down today.

A new horizon took shape amidst the rubble.
As a changed city, within a changed country, in a changed world
Tried as they might to understand the meaning.
A peace of innocence came crumbling down today.

But amidst the so-called war people found refuge
In helping those in need.
Hearts were opened and compassion fueled our spirit.
Yet, disbelief lay in the shadow of ash.
A peace of innocence came crumbling down today.

How to respond is a chaotic thought for all.
Retaliation, diplomacy, heightened security,
No one is sure.
Humanity needs forgiveness, healing and so much more…
A peace of innocence came crumbling down today.

Jodi Robin Cunniffe

It was like a holiday --
fewer people on the streets,
many gone upstate
or to the shore.

But it was not the same.
No, it was not like that at all.

Fighter jets flew overhead.
Taxis carried officers of law.

Whoever saw a cab with cops within?
except that day
that fatal day
when planes like bullets
penetrated walls
and broke the buildings
down to dust . . .
and people too,
and precious people too.

Cynthia Massey Mara

We will be all right.
We will be healed.
We will prevail.
We will endure.

To you, the cowardly messengers of hate, we are still standing. Beneath the soot and rubble, we are still HERE.

What you came for, you cannot take. We must give it to you.
You want our faith -- you cannot have it.
You want our hope - you cannot have it.
You want our strength - you cannot have it.
You want our resolve - you cannot have it.

We are stronger than a day, More resilient than one act.
You have taken things, but they are just buildings.
We will build another and another and another, higher than the last.

As for the lost lives of thousands. You did not pick the day; you just picked the way.
And though we shall miss them with heavy hearts, they are sleeping with the angels and abiding with The Lord. You cannot take that.
I know that if you enter this world, you will leave it. None knows the hour.
I did not want my father to go the day he left. I wasn¹t ready. One is
never ready, so we must endure. The challenge for we who remain, is to be
better than we were, more than we have been, and to always aspire to be our
greater selves. That is how we honor our dead.

Do good -- in their names.
Be charitable -- in their names.
Show courage -- in their names.
Work for peace -- in their names.
Be merciful ­- in their names
Then they will live forever.

To the thieves of peace and justice, You have no power over us, no dominion.
No weapon formed against the innocent will prosper.
You cannot steal the heart of a nation or the character of its people.

We will endure.

Lisa Matthews

A shadow spreads across a nation.
A feeling of unrest.
We are no longer safe here,
In our comfortable homes,
our comfortable schools,
our shopping malls, and
similar places of business.

Shattered glass spreads over a New York Street
Two beacons of ingenuity
Blow in dust past people in Armani suits
Standing with mouths agape.
The dust clings like memory to everything still standing.

Somewhere a woman makes a pot of coffee,
And clicks through her 97 channels,
looking for one that will allow her her denial.

Young boys raised on Nintendo
familiar with the pulse of a digital victims death
speak in whispers of draft, and war.
and the fear in their voices

And the girls who love them most,
Uncertain of the length of the future,
Consider an early abandon of virginity.

for we've all lost our innocence
In this home of the free, and the brave.

Kimberly Gannon

We face an enemy
unlike any we've known before.
They lurk in shadows.
Plotting. Planning. Condemning.
They strike and run away.
They think they will defeat us.

Individually, they have left their mark
on the core of every soul in the free world.
But as a whole, they have only suceeded in
making us stronger.

As the families and loved ones
weep and grieve the losses reaped
upon them by the heinous acts of cowards,
the nation and the world rallies.
United in our grief.
United in our anger.
United in our determination.
United in a common goal.
That goal is to end the existence
of terror in our world.
Lives may have been lost.
Buildings may have buckled
and been brought down,
but America is not lost.
America will not buckle.
AMERICA WILL NOT BE BROUGHT DOWN.
Seperately, nations around the world
have been terrorized by these inhuman acts.
But now their acts have united the world together
and soon they will know terror.

They will be lost.
They will buckle.
THEY WILL BE BROUGHT DOWN.

Vanessa Blood

Tuesday morning,
Not quite nine a.m.
The face of America
Would change once again.

The shock of the news
Came slowly at first
A horrible accident?
Or something much worse?

But when the Towers were rattled
For the second time
Left no doubt in folks' mind -
A dark, heinous crime

For hundreds of people
There was little chance
The planes like scud missiles
All set on to crash

The Windows of the World
And a small town in PA
And the 5-pointed defenders
Of the USA

Smoldering buildings
Dust clouding like night
A 30-mile crater
And no one in sight

The horror unfolded
To those on TV
Did they know someone there
Or did they get free?

Dad, are you OK?
Did you hear from my Mother?
Where are my cousins,
Sisters and brothers?

Was it my neighbor?
Was it my friend?
When would this stop?
When would it all end?

I got the news luckily
Not far before twelve
My brother had escaped
Before they both fell.

But it just as easily
Could have been him,
And it didn't make the story
Any less grim.

A farmer out working on an Oklahoma plain?
Or a park ranger out scouting in Acadia, Maine?
Or a big movie actor on a Hollywood set?
It could've been them or others you've never met

And so many more that you'll never see
Trapped in the rubble, dirt, and debris.
We watch it all day, we can't turn away
What will we do, what will George say?

"We will find, we will punish
It will all be arranged."
But what good will it do?
And what will it change?

Thousands of people
Taken from our land
Now away from the terrors
And safe in God's hands

Phone booth lines totaled
Twenty folks deep
Red Cross lines backing up
Heading into the street

People chomping at the bit saying,
"What can I do?"
It could have been me.
It could have been you.

And if it happened in Spain
Would it make it less worse?
If it happened in France
Would it be less of a curse?

The pictures, the sounds
Will always remain
The billowing smoke
The crashing plane.

Grab hold of your loved ones
Your Neighbors and friends
Let the nation band together
And be unified again.

Asian mothers, Indian fathers
Black sisters, White brothers,
Latino uncles, Native cousins,
Purple friends and all others.

They sang "God Bless America" on the Capitol steps
Prayer vigils were held in the east and out west
Moments of silence, with mournful bowed heads
While I shed my own tears from the foot of my bed.

A nation in mourning
A nation enraged
Our military poised,
A wild animal caged.

They laughed and they danced
As they burned our flag
They said we had it coming
And it just made me sad.

We are going to strike back
He said, "Make no mistake."
Other buildings will fall
Other buildings will break.

But this horror I don't wish
Upon any other
No would should be stuck wondering
About the fate of their brother.

There is nothing to do
There is nothing to say
That will make the pain stop
And make it all go away.

But the flag it may burn
And buildings may fall
But the people of America
Will always stand tall

We fought through ours wars and the rocket's red glare,
We made through the Depression when our cupboards were bare,
We pulled through disasters: broken ground, flooded streams
We marched arm in arm for Dr. King's dream.

Thousands of people head back to their lives
Fixing sinks, building decks, baking cookies and pies,
Taking math tests, and paying bills to clear debt.
We may go back to work, but we'll never forget.

Today is a new day
And there's no consolation
Except that we stand
As a unified nation.

And we stop and we pray
That we will never see
Another day like that
In any land or any sea.

God bless the poor victims
And those still MIA.
Bless their families and friends
And the US of A.

Jason Langin

I am America
the land of the free
the home of the brave
and MTV

You thought that you knew me
but here's a surprize
the social veneer
was just my disguise

for under the girders
of iron and steel
lies the heart of a tiger
who knows not how to kneel.

Karen Kettner

Because we are alive,
Don't bury us with pity.
Because we are alive,
Don't sit in judgment over us.

Because we are alive,
We will stand to face the future,
Eyes open, vision clear, mouths set with purpose.

Though life is but a wisp of vapor,
It will not be blown away by hate.

Hell is for the dead, condemned,
An eternity of darkness,
A place where death reigns.

We don't belong there because
We are alive.

Wendy Macinskas

And when it all came crashing down,
so did the lives of so many people.
And when the footage was shown on the television,
the destruction, the chaos, the shock,
I couldn't even fathom the real-life horror.
I, sitting in a classroom, was separated from it.
I, sitting in that classroom,
couldn't even begin to connect with what was going on...
what was happening to thousands of people,
in the sky, in those buildings, on the ground, in homes....
I was protected at that moment...they were not.
I was able to hug and hold my family,
so many others were not.
Life is so far from right, from normal.
And the closest that I can get to it,
the closest that I can get to understanding
the enormity of this tragedy,
is by looking into the eyes of those who are suffering,
those who are struggling,
those who are saving and rescuing,
whose who are mourning and crying...
and see it.
See how deep and far the suffering goes,
how it extends throughout the nation, the world
and how it makes people shake and tremble to the point of utter exhaustion.
See those who are struggling,
struggling to wake up and face each day.
Struggling to accept that their lives are forever changed.
Knowing those who they long for,
long to see again...to see their face just one more time,
hear them laugh,
feel their arms wrapped around them tightly,
might never come home...
and wanting it so badly that the pain is alomst unbearable at times,
so sharp, so searing that it takes a person's very breath away...
And seeing the heroes,
the men and women of this united country,
wanting, equally as badly, to bring the victims home,
home to waiting and anxious families,
To those who are mounring and crying,
To those who are standing on busy street corners all throughout this nation
holding hands, and flags, and candles.
I see all this,
this tremedous swirl
of tears, patriotism, loss, confusion,
bravery, an undaunting, unfailing courage of a nation and its people,
and I feel endlessly moved by the weight of the world
pitted against the strength of the heart.
And I think to myself,
all those people,
all those people who died that morning,
they would be proud of us...
proud of the way that a great, loving, warm blanket
of our nation and its people
has been layed upon them
as they enter into another place...
Just as we are so proud of them.

Aimee Kohli

We the people
Can't we get along?
We the people
How can we move on?
We the people
Now, so many of us are gone
We the people
A memory that will be sketched in our minds for so long
We the people
Oh mighty Lord, what is wrong?
We the people
Please help us to unite
We the people should be changed to
We the strong
People who hurt our nation, also hurt the people
We the strong
The people who care
We the strong
The people who fight for our nation
Oh yes, Mama said there'll be days like this
But who would have thought that there would be a day like this?

James Henderson, 16

Day after day
People are losing their mind
What is happening to the U.S.A.?
What is happening to the world?
Our nation has undergone a lot
But this is a day that will never be forgotten
The lives that were taken are unimaginable
The buildings that were destroyed are incredible
This is a day that will never be forgotten
Who would do such a thing?
No one knows
But I do know one thing
Our nation will never be the same

James Henderson

I am the sleeping giant

America's my name
I just awoke the other day

And viewed a cowards' shame
He came with fire in the sky
My chindren in his arms
And killed five thousand innocents
That never caused him harm

Families left with bleeding hearts
Destruction all around
Bodies buried deep beneath
Some never to be found

And though he froze our world for days
And tried to garner fear
His ignorance has caused his mind
To miss one fateful year

The year was nineteen forty one
Pearl Harbor was the name
And though my children all were lost
We knew we'd fight again

For in our hearts we always knew
That God was on our side
And though my children have been hurt
They never touched our pride

That deep resolve, that's etched our souls
That glorious sense of right
The one that screams across the land
We've just begun to fight

So listen well you evil souls
And learn your lessons well
You mave have taken ones I love
For that you'll burn in hell

I am The Sleeping Giant
America's my name
And pray to my God when we're finished with you
That you'll never be heard from again

Joseph Hoey

Terrorist attacks, my heart fills with fear
Things like this shouldn’t be happening here
Watching the people on TV as they die
Wanting to do something more than cry
Still unable to grasp that this is real
Trying to figure out how I’m supposed to feel
And though I don’t know what to do
One fact remains, that is always true
I live in America, land of the free
We fought so hard just for liberty
We won’t give that up for any cost
What we worked so hard for won’t be lost
Though this has happened and people are dead
The only way to look is ahead
Our country is great and strong
We’ll find the ones who did this before long
Until that happens, all I can say
Is that the only thing to do is pray
Pray for the families who lost those they love
Pray for the people who now reside up above
Pray for a country full of pain
Pray that this never happens again
The only other thing to do
Is to join with your neighbor, and see this through
The terrorists may think they have us beat
But in a moment, we’re back on our feet
We could never just run and hide
We’re the United States of America, forever unified

Carolyn Nasuti, 17

Seeing the tragedy that happened today. . .

Makes me feel so sad and why do things happen this way. .

People causing pain and death to harmless ones. .

Not like what God taught us from up within the sun. .

Tears of sadness grace my face. .

For the loss of this despicable point of grace. .

Justice will be taken when it is the time. .

God will be on our side from the heart of the vine. .

So today I light a candle for all that have gone. .

With unity we will win and be one. .

and Always. .

Your spirits will live on . .

Michael E. Luby

Samantha Beckowski, 12

Michael J. Rodriguez

I see thousands of faces
in the smoke
and in my mind's eye
when I close my own.

I see hopes and dreams
In every piece of rubble
on every leaf of paper
when I try to remember what my own were.

In the wind
I hear the world
like a mountain sighing
and every tear that falls
is an earthquake in the heart.

In every ash that blows through the streets
or gets swept and hauled away
there are pieces of lives
and remnants of us all.

Vickie Lee Levy

I am proud to be an American because...
through all the joys, hardship and pain
we've never doubted our country's name.

From terrorism in the sky
to all the people who had to die.
September 11th, a day that will forever live in our hearts,
Two symbols of freedom; forever torn apart.

They tried to bring our country down,
by taking out our biggest town.
Our country's pride they cannot shake.
Our freedom, they may never take.

We watch the news waiting to hear
of the thousands missing, we sit in fear.
Our nations wait to do what is right.
Our people our ready and willing to fight.

Kirsten Hurd, 13

Within a matter of hours life can change as you know it

We discovered this quickly on a bright sunshine morning
The sky was blue and clear
What lurked behind the clouds and what was to come was of the unknown
As everyone became frozen in time our prestige was stolen
Our hearts broken and the safety of our country robbed
Now we are left to pick up the pieces
To grieve in our shock as tears refuse to stop
All the while anger builds as we ask that one all-important question: "Why?"
Seeking out those that invaded our lives for punishment they so rightly deserve
As memories of loved ones who were someone's friend,
family,and most of all our fellow "neighbors" linger deep within our minds
As we pause to say thank you to the heroes who continue to risk their lives
Though we may have never met we were united by one simple thing
We all lived in this country together and took pride in what we stood for
And it is together that we shall rise once again
The pain will eventually subside but memories will live forever
As history repeats itself one day will remain clear and bright
That is September 11,2001, when a day was forever frozen in time

Shannon Darling

They came -- took us by surprise.
Destructive airplanes in the skies.
Overtaken by heinous, evil men
Slammed into buildings, stories of 110
Within minutes both buildings crumbled.
That is when America stumbled.
For thousands of precious people were lost.
Among the rubble they were tossed.
Families and friends try to cope.
And all of America holds out hope.
Yet as time continues to press on.
Chance of finding life is almost gone.
As a nation we have united.
Solidarity, volunteers, flags - all are sited.
At this time of need, kindness is at reign.
Which is a sign that the thousands who died, did not die in vain.

Rebecca Roy

On the eleventh of September
Two thousand and one,
I was stunned into silence
by what has been done,

American citizens just working
doing their jobs
not realizing their lives
were about to be robbed.

Their lives were all taken
by something unforseen
from people whose hearts
are cold, heartless and mean.

They had no regard
for any human life,
child mother father
brother sister husband wife.

They took over our planes
with one thing in mind:
to destroy our buildings
and to hurt our kind.

I am proud of our country
pulling together as one
bound to do what we have to
to get the job done.

And with all of our anger
our heart and our sorrow
we'll stand as Americans
yesterday, today and tomorrow.

God bless and our hearts go out to all.

Sharon Strockbine-Smith

It was going to be a beautiful day,
The sun was shining bright.
Until the calm was shattered,
And someone stole the light.

Please come and wake me from this dream,
It surely can’t be real.
But the pictures tell the story,
And I know that I must feel.

The shock, the anger and the pain,
Are only just a few.
The emotions are so strong right now,
That I know not what to do.

I’ll never understand nor will I forget,
The images that were shown.
And my heart will always be heavy,
I know I’m not alone.

In the months that follow we will recover,
Life will go on they say.
For that is just our nature,
To grow stronger day by day.

Lori Bilton

Dedicated to the men, women and children that lost their lives or who are still missing in the aftermath of the horrific events of September 11, 2001. Our hearts and prayers go out to everyone who was affected by these horrible attacks.

The Bilton Family

Snaking through a patch of ivy, giving and returning chase, two squirrels
race. Two plumes of fur emerge from a great green lung, and thread a nearby
tree, fleeing from their own version of adversity, wholly indifferent to me,
and mine, displayed on a nearby TV.

On another frequency, a small red dog jets after his own tail. Churned by a
constant conviction, his red and white hair flails. Worlds away from me,
content in canine reverie, he now rests on a shaggy blue rug, fifty feet
from my chair, forty-nine from despair.

Beside me, a guitar sleeps with its secrets. Replete with secret songs, it
sits. A metaphor, not unfit for the latent song of a nearby garden, sleeping
with secrets of its own. Sleeping in the midst of poisons and antidotes,
whispering that evil has no single host. That garden beckons me. It has the
deepest sense of harmony. I feel as though being less like the garden;
yields less of me.

Live on TV, I watch calamity level concrete trees. I see noble, gray,
giants, choked by black plumes of inhumanity. I feel a pain, unfelt by my
present company... Nearby, nature sings a steady song, indifferent to the
world of man and his fears, and never to be nourished by the falling of
tears.

Owen Biddle

Dedicated to the memory of my friend Deborah Welsh, flight attendant, United Flight 93

Molly Moran, 11

I think we were friends, Deborah & I,
Though in the same crew, we would never fly.

With our pillbox hats on, she was striking to see,
A career Flight Attendant, she was so proud to be.

She was classy and tall; she held her head high,
She was such a better professional than I.

She was funny and loud, a treat to be around,
During our seven week training, strict times - she clowned!

A group of us grew close; we spoke of life, love, and fears,
For sure we'd get kicked out, she brought us laughing to tears!

But, she was a New-Yorker, no question about it,
She fiercely fought for our freedom. I will not doubt it!

She overflowed with life; she was warm and a beauty,
She fell to her death, in the line of our duty.

She was very well loved, so many will miss her.
She took the last hint of this job's glamour with her.

Deborah's with God now, holding her head high,
A guardian angel…who still loves to fly.

Here's how one very tragic story ends,

As for Deborah & I, I think we were friends.

(My prayers go out to all of the victims, their families, and their friends, during this time of utter sadness.)

Rebecca Tolson Russell
United Airlines Flight Attendant
DCASW
September, 2001

Today is gone,
but tomorrow will come --
another day
to unite as one.
No more hurt,
no more pain,
no more tears
that fall like rain.
Birds have crashed,
fires burned.
Soon they'll know
the tides have turned.
The day will come
when birds will fly,
we'll leave our mark
upon their sky.
We'll show them
we're not afraid --
our undying pride
will be portrayed.
We'll prove to them
this will not stand.
Let freedom ring,
we love our land!

Stephanie Davis

A calamity, a catastrophe,
the evil ones
crashed down on the world.
And in a matter of minutes,
everyone's lives
were dramatically changed.
Something beautiful and symbolic
was destroyed.
Our country, our people
suffered a great loss
that will forever be embedded
in our minds.
Mixed emotions fill up inside,
as we look back on that fearful day -
a day that will never be forgotten -
and all we can do is hope
for a better future
where people can be safe,
where peace and love is universal,
and the acts of evil are driven out
of our country, our American lives.
We will survive, we will not give up,
we will strike back,
and we will win this war.

Stephanie Davis

The tears of Lady Liberty,
As she espied in disbelief,
They flowed effortlessly,
Through eyes of sudden grief,

An unspeakable horror,
On a bright sunny morn,
Committed devoid of sorrow,
As sentimentalities were shorn,

Still, she stood tall and proud,
And maintained her salute,
Though sweat crested her brow,
From heat and the soot,

The terrorists who committed,
Such atrocity and mayhem,
Will live to regret it,
As madness purveys them,

Time ticks in synergy,
Anxiety, near and far,
For, the tears of Lady Liberty,
They now flow for war

Kenny Love

Cowardly they came seeking to take a nation down
Hijacking our planes into our greatest building - in our greatest town.
Again they struck in Washington and we all watched in disblief
As the twin Towers crumbled, we clenched our fists in grief.

Mom and Dads just doing their jobs that day, the brave firefighters and police
The pilots, cres and passengers and all the still unknown deceased.
The great cloud of dust that covered the streets and sky but did not cover our hearts.
Making us all pull together in solemn prayer, all wanting to help and do our part.

"Old Glory" may be at half-staff today but you can be sure she will
again wave mighty and high.
Please God Bless America, the land of the free and embrace us as we cry.
Together we will stand by our President as he brings justice to those
who have done
This vicious Attack on America, our great country......on September ll,2001.

Kristine McLaughlin

People heading to work
thinks nothing of something
bad ever to happen.
What they don't know
is that they will
never be the same again.
The morning of Sept 11,2001,
everything was quiet,
until you watched the plane
crash into tower 1.
It's like I can feel the
people's bones breaking,
and feel the hearts
of loved ones aching.
My body shaken with fear,
that this could be another
Pearl Harbor.
Tower 2 is hit.
As it crumbles to the ground,
people fly like birds out of
the windows trying to get away.
The people disappear into
the shadow of dust,
as they are falling to
the ground.
It doesn't seem like they
hit the ground,
but vanished into thin air.
We need to fight,
to keep our country together
and help bring New York back
to life.

Shari Schwartz, 19

Life for life
many unknown faces
forever embedded in my heart
visions of souls
helping our nightmares
dreams of peace
lost in their souls
My God My Country
My Brothers My Sisters
what have we done
what will we do
bring us hope
deliver us from fear
your visions of horror
will forever last in life
our visions of life
are embedded in your horror
My Brothers My Sisters
remember each other
remember this day
remember our friends.
Your life is not lost
it is eternal within us
your dreams, your passions
have become ours
America the beautiful
we love you so
protect our loved ones
and help us heal
life for life

Frank Pileggi

Before the dust of prayer
before the calm
before the ashes of legs
before the eerie thud of explaining
before there is no memorial
tender enough to carry us
as we carry them.
Yes, I have been angry with America
its subtle and not so subtle hungers
but my body draped in flag now
the weight of my wrath could never contain
the all of my stillness could never explain
the passion in their slaughter.
Now I grieve for strangers
as brothers or sisters
or unbearable anguish --
your son my daughter.
The dead still stir inside of me.
The visitor within me weeps:
I have a child
where will she go?
Dreamer, little dreamer,
go back to sleep.

Amy Small-McKinney

The real terror
is the thought
that, if no Solomon
or group of Solomons
can solve this 2001 riddle
of terror,
the entire human population
of the world
will shortly have
the following choice
of residence:
plane #1
plane #2
plane #3
plane #4
or
tower #1
tower #2
a Pentagon.

A large, green, open field in Pennsylvania.

Jules Slatko

Indivisible illusions of One Republic
Multiply

MOMENTS PASS BY…

Roaring echoes of might
Thunder
Bronze shaded visions a blaze
Tower high

LET NO MAN PUT US UNDER!


Loyal Spirits of one nation
Forsaken
Banished beneath
crushing blood soaked rubble
Taken
Silver visions of freedom
Tarnished
for all

THE EAGLE CRIES

As One Nation,
We embrace the reflections of
Barbaric Indignation
Only to cultivate united vows of
Ultimate Elimination

Darkness impaled by the righteous sword
bequeath eternal silence of
Self Importance

THE EAGLE SOARS…….

Whispers of prayer
unchain the enslaved souls
Torn, never again
Stand and Defend

LIBERTIES
JUSTICE
for all.

Anna Caffarelli

As we weep the loss
Through this time of sorrow
We need to look forward
Toward our next tommorow
Each day and night
As we bow to pray
Remember the tragedy
We've experienced today
Let's pray for all
Who have been affected
By this awful attack
That was so unexpected
We'll forever remember
The tears that we've cried
And mourn all the loved ones
Who have innocently died
May God bless their souls
And comfort the minds
Of the family members
The victims left behind
I ask at this time
That you all bow your heads
And pray for our World
For what lies ahead

Michael Gallagher

Who is the coward, that creeps by night,
who cannot show himself by human sight,
who orders his sabotage by highjacking, and destroying it in flight?
What was the true meaning of what he has done, does he honestly believe that he has won?
Deceit is the word that is being heard,
all the innocent lives, the brutal injuries are far beyond reason, and are inhumanly absurd.

This happened in the blink of an eye,
Americans who suffered, families who still cry, they are still in
disbelief, as to why their love ones had to die, painfully mourning
because they never had the chance to say goodbye.

The beast who is responsible for this massacre, never even knew who any of these Americans were!
If this cowardly-creature is lusting after a war, by us having faith in our Lord,
he knows not what we have in store.

Linda I. Weischedel

Our nation standing so betrayed
Fallen captive to a war unwaged
We wait at home and share our tears
In too much shock to show our fears

Never before has such a day
Caused so much pain in such a way
Amazing strength in united hearts
A nation that refuses to be torn apart

Here we stand, our darkest hour
Each buried in our own two towers
As candles glow in every town
Our nation screams without a sound

America, you stand so strong and tall
Unwilling to divide and fall
We fly our flags and send our love
And know God is crying from above

Let us all remember what we've lost
And see the price that terror caused
America, our home, will always be
A land that fights to make the whole world free.

Gina Gasiewski-Reading, 18

Hang our flags
hang them high
With the rippling wind
let's catch each eye
Each day as sunlight starts to fade
let's light our flags
as bright as day.
And when we've flagged
every American town
let's proclaim our freedom
all around.
For in this time
as we mourn,
America's unity
is reborn.
The souls that died
on the eleventh day,
through our American flags
have something to say.
To all who are evil
and would terrorize our home
when you die an American,you don't die alone.
We are a united people
we stand hand in hand,
if one of us is taken,
another takes the stand.
So hear our message
Loud and Clear
We, the American people
are United without fear.

Wally Scott

To terrorists, a Warning
In the early morning,
elevator arrived,
lunch stashed,
first cup of coffee
lifted?

idle musings
and organizings
of infinitives,
bills to pay,
letters to write,
meetings to attend,
office to-do's,
begun?

Assumptions of safety,
security,
street lights in the dark,
underlying comforts
of morning smell
brewing.
<

br> ruptured ? shattered - void.

Our freedom ("we hold these truths")
imprisoned by those who hold them not?

A low rumble in the
human core begins:
the inventions of men
turned for his undoing?
first, to comfort
those weeping for the dead,
those escaped, for their undeserved guilt, the silent mourners, watching from a distance
momentum gaining from all who share our truths,

and finally the rumble shouts:
Listen!
we will continue our life.
we will not be shattered.
and while we must bear the dirty horror of lives so ended,
we will gain light and strength from our shared bond,
we will celebrate with passion this very precious life.
(and you who have set yourselves apart from God,
We quietly state that your infinity is doomed,
we will not take you with us into the ages.)

Susan Chamberlain

One morning we woke with the sun slowly rising
And saw in the distance a bird,
It flew with great speed moving faster than lightning,
Its anger was too quickly heard,
But not to alight on a shoulder
Its reason was sinister, evil and dark,
As it dipped its long head and then circled around
And in fireball discovered its mark,
Our brethren went running like ants in their frenzy,
They sought shelter in every space,
And then as the black cloud of death began rising
Another bird crashed near that place,
Our buildings stood burning like trees shot with lightning
As bodies were flung from their arms,
The chaos below them, the sobs and the screaming,
We watched these unspeakable harms,
Then into this mayhem came love and compassion
‘Mid sirens and flashes of light,
The spirits of brothers and sisters abounded
Assisting the hurt in their plight,
But still more catastrophe waited to take them
As twin towers gave up their ghost,
We looked on in horror as one then the other
Collapsed, sending scores to their host,
The air filled with clouds of their souls
And our anguish to coat every place it could find,
The tears stung our eyes at this vista of carnage,
Pearl Harbor came back to our mind,
But this was disaster of much greater torment
No uniforms signaled this foe,
A battle was fought here and lost in a moment,
No warning, no sign did they show,
Then slowly from out of the rubble came crawling
Some helpless, some lost, some confused,
For what had they done but been gifted with freedom
And life? And been direly abused,
We saw as the multitudes limped, crawled and scrambled,
Some blinded and choking, from hell,
But brothers and sisters came back for the fallen
And freed them from this mangled cell,
So many stayed digging in search of survivors,
Moved boulders and metal by hand,
Though kindred had suffered and died in this manner
Surrender is not of this land,
The tears of our children flowed freely and often
As loved ones were found or denied,
Then news of two other disasters was spoken
Yet more of our loved ones had died,
And here we stared gasping, our arms stretched to reach them,
The injured and sick to embrace,
We shared in their torment and wept in their anguish,
Our anger and fear in each face,
Before all the dust settled here in our country
The searching and praying began,
Determined as always our people moved forward,
Our strength in each woman and man,
For here on our shores, though some sought to destroy it,
The spirit of freedom lives on,
Each death makes us brave to protect what we value,
Each tear we have shed makes us strong,
Our children are treasures, not perfect but precious,
Each one is a part of the whole,
And this is the bounty the tyrants can’t damage
They try but they can’t kill our soul,
For we are the sum of our lives not our symbols,
We carry our flag in our heart,
Our union is blessed with the strength of devotion
And nothing can tear that apart,
We are the land built from life and the buried,
The needy seek dreams at our gates,
We are compassion and justice and power,
Yes, we are the United States.

Peter Wagerfield

Times are Changing

And So Are We

Our Freedom Was Disturbed

But We Still Stand

Our Beliefs Have Been Criticized

But We Keep On Believing

We Have Been Pushed

But We Keep On Walking

Join Hands and Rejoice

For This Is Not The End

Whatever Hate Has Ruined

Love Will Build It Back Up Again

Sadness Has Changed Us

But It Wont Bring Us Down

Evil Came And Went

But Goodness Will Come And Stay

In The Heart Of Every Human Being

Peace Will Some Day Reign

Sergil Cave IV

Attack on America

For the families of those, who lost their lives,
Children and grandparents, husbands and wives.

Aunts and Uncles, Sisters and Brothers,
Nieces and Nephews, Fathers and Mothers.

this act of terrorism, Will not go unseen,
The attack on America, Was downright mean.

September 11th, We watched buildings fall,
To those who done this, We will get you all.

To the innocent victims, You've taken away,
I've watched our nation, Come together, and pray.

We stand by our flag, The red, white an blue,
To Osama Bin Laden, We are coming for you!

Our twin towers are gone, Our Pentagon bruised,
From American's all over, We are not amused.

You can run, But you can't hide,
You've hurt our hearts, But not our pride.

The terrorism,the destruction, You have done,
Has only made Americans unite as one.

Marie Milcarsky

There will be two fewer shadows
on New Yorkers today
Time for subversive acts
immune to wiretapping and satellite surveillance
Prayer
When sunrays find people for the first time
in thirty years
perhaps a divine light will appear to millions
Two fewer shadows on New York today

Leonard Lee Buschel

Nine One One

A day like all the others
People go to work
settle in
But-!
Explosion!
Fire all around!
The walls fall down!
Smoke and dust and ashes!
What could it be like in there?
Get them out!
Get them out!

Why?
Who could hate so much?
What cause is worth this?

Do you know what you did?
You brought out our anger
We don't care about
your glorious cause
We'll have our justice
When you hit us
You destroyed yourself

I don't know them in the building
but someone does
and loved them
Lost
Gone
In the most terrible way

Why don't you explain your cause
To them?

John Oliver Mason

Sleep Robbers

The nights are long and fractured
By dreams of shattered skies and lives
That will never be the same.

Day now breaks
Instead of dawns.
Windowshades and neighbors' faces are
drawn.

The children toss in their beds
More than usual.
Sobbing in their sleep about
Planes that swoop down like vultures.
Young men cannot believe that life
Is now the movie that used to thrill them.

How do we mask the fear in our hearts
When all that we thought was known
Is not?

I used to feel that
God's hand was cupped unseen
Over our lives
Shielding us with an
Umbrella of stars.

Now I scan the night
Before sleeping
And startle at rumbles in the distance.
"It's only thunder,"
I tell the children who rush into my bed,
My heart racing.

These are new dark times for us
The country of "peace."
But many others live this sorrow
Daily.
Choosing routes to skirt
the random hand of death.
Mourning is a mainstay in their lives.

We pray, hang flags, light candles
And hold our family close.
But this is not enough to drive away
Unseen demons.

No guards, the scrutiny of dark-skinned faces,
Weapons, searches
Avoidance of public places
Will guarantee an easy mind.
(I remember loving
To watch clouds
From an airplane window.)

We read of heroes
Steering death from others' doorsteps
Rushing to save people in fiery tombs
Then drowning in the rubble.

But why should our heroes only be
Daring rescuers in tragedy?
Each day should be a chance
To ease somebody's pain, praise a child or
Help a stranger.

Those who took planes like children's toys
And dashed them into buildings as easily
As a toddler knocks down blocks
Are not afraid to die.

We who treasure life
Must rebuild our deepest selves
Not just towers in the sky.

Paula Singer

Not so long ago, we ran from countries that did not want our kind.
We ran from poverty, we ran from servitude,
We ran from persecution, we ran from famine.
We ran once. We will not run again.
* * *
We ran from feudal lords, we ran from kings,
We ran from princes, we ran from czars.
We ran once. We will not run again.
* * *
We left our parents, we left our brothers, we left our sisters,
We left our homes, we left our villages, we left our farms, we left our shops.
We left everything behind once. We will not leave everything behind again.
* * *
Some of us came as slaves, in shackles and in chains.
We became free men and women.
We claim this land as our own.
We were enslaved once. We will not be enslaved again.
* * *
We traveled far, we crossed great seas,
We came to a land that welcomed us.
We worked hard at humble jobs,
We raised our children and our children's children,
All in a land we claim as our own.
We were exiles once. We will not be exiles again.
* * *
We built this land, we built its railroads,
We built its highways, we built its factories,
We built its cities with buildings that touch the sky.
We built them once. We will build them again.
* * *
We ran once from lands not our own.
This is our country. This is our people.
This is ours.
You may attack us, but you will never defeat us.
We ran once, we will not run again.
* * *
You tried the impossible, you have already failed.
We are bloodied, but not bowed.
We have defended this land many times before. We will defend this land again.
* * *
We will root you out, now matter how long it takes,
No matter how much it takes, we will know no limit.
If it takes all our resources, if it takes all our lifetimes.
For you see,
We ran once. We will not run again.

Joe Gerber

As I listened to the radio -- "a plane has crashed into a
tower", I heard, --
I figured it was just a regular accident; no reason to
get all stirred.

But moments later I heard a second plane had crashed
into Tower number two,
Fire and ashes then filled a sky, that is normally so
very blue.

Then a plane crashed into the Pentagon, and another in PA,
Why is all this happening in America today?
A land where we have freedom, a land where we have peace,
From the bottom of the deepest lake to above the highest trees.

As the Twin Towers came tumbling down, I said a little prayer,
In hopes that the lives of all the innocent people
could possibly be spared.

The ignorance of some people may never be understood,
And if we all could change their minds, i know that we
would.

Be thankful for all the men and women that dedicate
their lives to making sure we have freedom and are safe,
Because they are the reason the United States of
America is the #1 place.

"...the flag still stands for freedom and they can't
take that away..." are the beautiful words i heard once before,
So may those words live on forever plus many, many more!

Mindy Leibowitz, 18

We lined our school halls
as young children in the sixties
Our hands and arms covering our heads
We believed this would keep us safe
from the bombs.
Grown-ups told us
Don't worry
There are more good people in the world
than bad.

We huddled and wept in groups around transistor radios
Our beloved President was dead
Our heroes were to be sacrificed
One by one.
Grown-ups told us
Don't worry
There are more good people in the world
than bad.

We saw our nation split over an undeclared war.
In a time of protests, turmoil, and confusion
Grown-ups said
Don't worry
There are more good people in the world
than bad.

We moved into the age of terrorism
Grown-ups now ourselves.
As we warned our children of drugs, alcohol,
gun violence, danger in their schools, prejudice
and hate.
We said
Don't worry
There are more good people in the world than bad.

We stood with our children
Children ourselves in heart and mind.
We witnessed devastation and evil.
We knew we could not say
Don't worry.
But in watching the heroism and love of a nation
We knew in our hearts
That we could tell our children
There are more good people in the world than bad.

Marla Darcy

Unwelcome and armed you come-
Your minions invade our land;
And cold grow our hearts when the killing starts,
But whatever should come, we stand

You see plunder ripe for taking,
And think to reach out your hand;
But beware of the prey that you hunt today,
For tomorrow will come; we stand.

We stand, we stand
Unbowed by your demand.
You will come to see that we still live free,
And despite your sword, we stand.

Our souls feel the chill of winter
Through the flames your anger fanned.
Our houses burned but our lesson learned,
In the hills and woods we stand.

You've killed us by the thousands,
And wrecked what once was grand.
Commit your crime, we will bide our time
When the moment comes, we stand.

We stand, we stand,
And refuse to be unmanned.
Let the hours creep as you try to sleep,
For there in the dark, we stand.

Let your eyes be filled with terror,
Ere your mouth be filled with sand.
Let your flesh be meat for the crows to eat;
Let revenge begin-we stand.

Let crops grow where they've fallen,
Who moved by your command.
Let their widows fear when we march from here,
And outside your door we stand.

We stand, we stand
For the doom of all you planned.
When the sight of me is the last you see,
Let your last thought be… we stand.

Michael Greenstein

Together We Will Stand

Tears will not stop flowing
Aching hearts won't cease
They search among the ruins
Hopefully lifting piece by piece

Tragedy surrounds us
It's depth beyond belief
Our nation shares a heartache
Days pass with no relief

They work to find the victims
Beneath the steel and glass
So many gone so quickly
As hours slowly pass

The volunteers are many
They work in dangers way
Exhausted, yet determined
It goes on night and day

Our savior cries in heaven
While families grieve in pain
The country joins together
Lighting candles in the rain

Flags fly across our nation
We reach out hand to hand
To show the world around us
That together we will stand

Holly Williams

Dear little black appointment book,
Four and one half by five inches,
How I rely on you     day by day
Hour by hour      minute by minute.
I trust that you will tell me
What to do
And when to do it     exactly.

I look at you upon waking.
I close you shut before I sleep.
You're there when no one else is,
And in the primitive moments when I'm scared
Forgetting who I am,
You remind me I exist,
Where I've been,
Where I'm going,
Who I know,
And, that with time,
My wounds heal.

Susan Karol Martel

Towers

The Nation-World awoke that day ... Gold, Peace made dearth of news,
Tales of sharks and sex brought forth the most profound of views;
They rushed to work with thoughts of earning money ... and with stress,
With wool-cloth suits they bought from Brooks ... with every color dress;
The sky was bright and fully blue ... the bright sun warmed the earth:
It seemed a day like few before ... which promised joy and mirth.

And in that bright blue summer sky ... it's "nine" "one" "one" I hear them cry . . .
Will someone hear their words and weep? ... Will they die? ... or merely sleep?

And up there on the highest deck there stood a quiet man,
George Allman was his name ... his mind was on his garden plan ...
He gazed out at the distant sky ... with calm and distant thoughts ...
No dream or trace of fear he showed ... his were the smallest plots ....
Tomato plants and harvest work ... he had to beat the frost ....
Collect the fruit and feel the pride ... recoup the seedlings' cost ....

And in that bright blue summer sky ... it's "nine" "one" "one" I hear them cry ...
Will someone hear their words and weep? ... Will they die? ... or merely sleep?

The sky was deep ... the sky was bare ... his gaze drawn wide and far ...
He saw the glint .... a small sharp flash ... a daytime shooting star ...
He saw it ... never felt it ... never changed his quiet state ....
An object he had seen before ... no threat to human fate ...
It brightened fast ... it grew in size ... reflecting wider scenes ...
Centered in his conscious now ... still not asking what it means ...

And in that bright blue summer sky ... it's "nine" "one" "one" I hear them cry ...
Will someone hear their words and weep? ... Will they die or merely sleep?

Now he saw it was a plane ... like ones he saw most every day ....
Now he saw the path was wrong ... too low because he knew the way ...
And yet he did not feel the fear ... he thought it was just some routine ...
Perhaps avoiding traffic there ... diverting from the normal scene ....
Enlarged by ten ... he saw it turn ... it took a course ... he felt the chill ...
He read the letters on it's side .... he saw their eyes ... and looks can kill.

And in that bright blue summer sky ... it's "nine" "one" "one" I hear them cry ...
Will someone hear their words and weep? ... Will they die or merely sleep?

And in an instant all had changed ... the object's role was very clear ...
George Allman knew it's purpose sure ... and now he felt the starkest fear ...
Time for him was now so thick ... it almost couldn't move at all ....
Each neural fiber turned to flame ... each muscle was a muscle ball ...
He couldn't turn and look away ... his eyes were drawn by terror's force ....
And then within a speck of time .... the devil ship had run its course.

And in that bright blue summer sky ... it's "nine" "one" "one" I hear them cry ...
Will someone hear their words and weep? ... Will they die or merely sleep?

Loren Bittner

Maybe it'll do nothing,
But today I stopped
By the Beamer's house
To pay tribute
To the spirit of a nation
Embodied in a man.

I talked with the landscaper,
Who was there
To finish a job
He started
Before September 11th.

Nobody
Was home.

I turned
And looked back.

Flags…
Outlined the perimeter of this Americana street
That led to the cul-de-sac
Where the house of a nations' hero sits.

So I placed the bouquet of flowers,
On the green grass
Next to the flag
Behind the mailbox
And drove away.

Jim Nowin

What will they do when the "Sleepers" awake, having drifted to sleep to the lullaby of hate?
Where will they go once their slumber subsides? Out of the cities to the countryside?
Who will they target?
When will they strike?
These soldiers of hatred driven by their convictions and might.

But, were WE not the sleepers-on the Left and the Right - lulled by celebrity,
frivolity, riches and slights?

What to do now in the face of our horror,
To comfort our children, "There will be a tomorrow."

Where can we run? Where can we hide?
From the "Sleepers" amongst us….those on both sides?

What will they do when the "Sleepers" awake,
Having drifted to sleep to the lullaby of hate?

Barbara P. Brooks

Dear people of the USA,
Here is a poem for you;

ON THE DAY THE TWINTOWERS & PENTAGON FELL
WE ALL SHED SOME TEARS, AND SAID FAREWELL

BUT DON'T DESPAIR IN THIS TRAGIC TIME
FOR WE'LL MAKE THINGS BETTER, DESPITE THIS CRIME

MAY GOD WE TRUST TO BLESS THIS NATION
TO HELP US REBUILD THE LOVE OF THIS LOCATION

SINCERELY,

Alison Young and Dominique Zampino, Grade 5, A. Russell Knight School, Cherry Hill

A war is coming, so they say
Dark and ugly, it started today.
A group of terrorists,
Four hijacked planes,
Innocent bystanders
Lives thrown away.
What should we do?
How can we stay?
Where should we turn?
Who's gonna pay?
A war is coming, so they say
Dark and ugly, it started today.
The smoke will clear,
Life will resume,
It will be different,
never the same.
A war is coming, so they say
Dark and ugly, it started today.

Rachel Zatuchni

The deed so dastardly despicable
Casts unspeakable anguish on America's soul. Conceived in hearts of darkened hatred,
To snuff out innocents' tormented cries.

Are we to be a wounded lion slashing back in fury?
Are we to kill, to maim, to imitate our darkest foes?
Or can we rise to show and lead our planet,
That hate breads hate and fear our greatest foe?

That what we hold so dear, the brotherhood of man,
Must not be sullied by revenge so blind.
The blood our brothers spilled will not have been so in vain,
If humankind will only learn the painful lessen: never again.

Uprooting evil in the word takes well considered time
Its roots are deep and bitter are its vines.
Long fes'tring hate and pain can not be cured by bomb or threat,
Only a caring heart will hear find a way to lift the dread.

But brotherhood will win the final day.
Your skin be brown or white or any shade of gray
Together we will forge the bond that will unite us,
As we will thwart the enemy who tried to rend us,
on that evil day.

Jerry Freimark

So much breaking news, such little time
What ever happened to this world of ours?
I need answers to questions i don't even know.
Where should i start why us? why now?
As I sit in front of the television watching the towers crumble down bit by bit piece by piece.
A tear comes to my eye.
As I watch the towers burning to a flame I think of all the innocent people that are about to die for doing no crime at all.
As the planes crashed into the buildings I see people jumping out of windows,
jumping because they want to die a less painful death.
I fear airplanes now more than ever.
I think what more could happen?
Do they want us to attack them back?
Why should we have to fear this image in our heads, images such as watching people die and the great towers falling?
No one ever thought this could happen to us.
My heart and prayers go out to the victims of the Pentagon and World Trade Center crashings and their family's.
In my mind the towers still stand.
In my mind the victims are alive.
In my mind this never happened at all.
I now watch the news with tears coming to my eyes as I see the World Trade Center towers lying dead on the floor its a shame all 127 floors.

Christine Gebeline, 15

September 11 was just another day
people washed, ate, dressed, and headed on their way

moms and dads went to work and the children went to school
we all had our routines of things we had to do

life went on in this world the way it always did
with the hustle and the bustle, busy people, busy kids

but another was busy as busy as can be
plotting destruction upon a nation that was sleeping

Towers that stood strong, long before I was even born
now nothing but ash and rubble from a crash on this early morn

A mass destruction is what we have, many lives are gone
A blow so deep into our hearts, devistated and torn

The search continues throughout the day looking for signs of life
sad and weary faces, full of determination, full of strife

children without parents, parents without children, just what are we to do?
we mustn' t lose the faith we have, for God will help us through

War has been declared against us, our nation and our land
we must be united in our hearts, pull together in this stand

This vicious act will be punished, they will not get away
For we are a nation, strong and true

We Are The U.S.A

Algeria Edmonds

A crime has been committed
Against the innocent of America
Every citezen of our nation
Witnessed the tragedy
We must never forget
Remember the day
September eleventh
In the year of our Lord
Two-thousand and one
And just as our Lord
Forgive
As good Christians, Jews, and Muslims
Pray
Please, unite
Abrahamic America.

Joshua James Nakagawa

Before September 11, 2001, America stood tall, solid
and proud, the greatest world power. Then...
As the soot and dirt and ash rained down,
We became one color.
As we carried each other down the stairs of
the burning building or linked hands in a chain,
We became one class.
As the firefighters and police officers fought
their way into the inferno,
We became one gender.
As we whispered or shouted words of encouragement,
We spoke one language.
As we lit candles of waiting and hope,
We became one generation.
As we gave our blood in lines a mile long,
We became one body.
As we fell to our knees in prayer for strength,
We became one faith
As we mourned together the great loss,
We became one family.
As we cried tears of grief and loss,
We became one soul.
As we felt our pain and hurt;
We became one emotion.
As we donated money, time and energy,
We became one renewable resource.
As we retell with pride of the sacrifice of heroes,
We became one people.
As nations come together in solidarity,
We became one mind.
As we behave as if everyone is our brother and sister,
We became one earth.
As we and all nations respond with compassion and understanding,
We became one spirit.
After September 11, 2001, America joined all nations in becoming the most
powerful
unified globe for peace.
Daria Brezinski

September 11th won't be a forgotten day
When so many innocent lives were taken away
Going about their routine, through no fault of their own
They were removed forever from all they had known

We, who were left behind in this state
Of horror, confusion, mistrust and hate
When all around us, everything ceased
Left with only prayers for their eternal peace

So many try to blame God in all this
Thoughts like that I quickly dismiss
God gave us all a mind and a heart
Some choose hatred and evil to impart

This is not God's will, He is not asleep
He is, of course, still watching His sheep
Those that have caused this devastation
Will one day suffer their just condemnation

My faith in God restored and strong
I will accept what comes, knowing where I belong
I won't put off what should be done today
For tomorrow's a gift, of that we were shown the way

We were shown how life must certainly be treasured
For so incredibly short, it now seems measured
I'll now hug my children longer each night
Praying for their safety until the morning light

God Bless America

Mary E. O'Neill

I feel so sorry for......
all those who stood as unwilling witnesses to the unspeakable horror
that unfolded before their eyes....
those who looked at the grim face of death and could do nothing to
stave off his evil hand.....
those, also so helpless, who were unable to remove themselves from
the unerring path of destruction, for their pain was unbearable.....
those countless, faceless,nameless heroes who will not return to
help others again.....
those who brave ALL, and by sheer dint of will and Herculean effort,
to rescue and preserve life under the descimated testaments of our prosperity
and might, which OTHERS consider icons of greed and power.....
the leaders of this nation.They are faced with the most daunting of challenges
which have never been experienced before.
We will expect them to be strong, but we must allow them to show that they have been marred and that they too experience emotional trauma and the strongest of human feelings. Let it NOT be considered a sign of weakness, but one of strength and compassion.....
our military...although always at peak readiness, we now beseech them
to keep supervigilant watch over our borders, our safety, our homeland....
the demons who committed this act.....
those worthies who now sift through the insurmountable debris left by
this unthinkable devastation.....
the United States of America.Though we have faced this malevolence
before, this blow has brought us to our knees. the wounds seem too deep and
irrepairable, but we must NOT allow ourselves to fall face down into the
morass of defeat and despair. Rather, let us remain steadfast and purposeful
in the face of tyranny and rise again, one limb at a time, until we again
stand straight and stong before our friends and foes.....
For those who left us too suddenly...remember their spirits are now
and forever imbedded within the innumerable stars that light the heavens. For
they will shine down upon us and guide us on the path of justice and hope. We
will look up to them forever more...and when our hearts and souls are again
healed, I will no longer say....
I feel so sorry..............
May almighty God have mercy on us

Patricia R. O'Brien

Let there be miracles; let there be love
A safe peaceful world that we're all dreaming of
Let there be miracles; let all children play
Where hunger and fear are not part of their day
We all are what we are; we had no choice at our birth
But we can all reach for the stars, and bring a bit of Heaven to earth
Let there be miracles; let there be hope
As we help each other each day to live and to cope
We'll end hatred, starvation, shackles, and sorrow
By caring and sharing and planning tomorrow
Working together we can make miracles happen --

Please, God, and my fellow citizens of the world, let there be miracles!

Eleanor Pendergast

Let Us Pray

Nation under attack
where were you then,
stumbling through the ashes
fleeing with fellow country men.

Walking through the streets
talking with your peers,
no matter where
this tragedy was sure to reach your ears.

Incredible tragedy, too much for anyone to see,
what is there to say, as a nation let us pray.

Teachers with horror stricken faces
little children rushing around in a confused sort of way,
people lying under rubble
mandy lives were lost today.

Cheering enemies waving flags on the news
what a sickening sight,
as a girl grabs her hair and screams out
her dad was in that buidling, on that flight.

The sun begins to set
and the day settles down for some,
things will surely change for the worse
now that this days done.

Incredible tragedy, too much for anyone to see,
what is there to say, as a nation let us pray.

Nation under attack
bodies wounded, dead, they lay,
lives growing over years
all killed in just one day.

The sun rose one morning
clueless of the events ahead,
the sun sets on a country
filled with horror, filled with dread.

The tears I can taste
still the replays I see,
September eleventh 2001
goes down in history.

The nation quiets down
there's nothing left to say,
as one body, as one nation
together let us pray.

Joanna Levin

September 11, 2001, was a very sad day for everyone.

Our airplanes were hijacked; then the Trade Center and Pentagon were attacked.
The terror from the sky, made everyone cry.
After the terror that day, everyone came together to pray.

Many lives were lost, at a very great cost.

Many firemen, policemen, rescue workers worked day and night;
trying to make everything right.
They worked with great stride, hoping to find more people alive;
with great hope that more would survive.

America will never fall, because we stick together, one and all.

God bless all of those, who donated water,food, money and clothes.

Debris had to be removed, ton by ton.
Thank god for the workers and everyone.

United, America stands, every child, woman and man.
We will retaliate as best we can.

We will have a great revival, because, we all believe in the
Lord and the Bible.

This will be called a Holy war.
To show all the other countries what we stand for.

Make no mistake!!
We will bring these terrorists to justice, for everyone's sake.

America stands strong and proud as a nation.
Our faith in God will be our salvation.

Artis (Kipp) DeWolf

911 is a terrifying number
911 will always be remembered
As the second time we lost our innocence.
The terrible loss of life makes no sense.
I don't understand what they wanted to accomplish
I only know that these acts were fiendish.
Done by misguided individuals
Fulfilling some kind of horrific rituals
Justified in the name of God
Using the excuse of a Holy Jihad
More than 5000 people are dead
Americans are demanding bin-Landen's head
Perhaps this is needed for the wounds to be soothed
An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.
But I don't believe this will solve it all
Each and every one of us must answer the call
To wipe out terrorism from the face of the Earth
That is the ultimate solution to this terrible dearth
of senseless killings and loss of life.

911 is a sickening call but it will be remembered by one and all.

Tim O'Brien

A day that is unmatched in a nation's history,
This country is still searching, trying to understand,
The entire world asks the prevailing question,
"Who really is to blame for man's inhumanity to man?"

As the mighty towers swiftly collapsed to the ground,
They left behind much more than a familiar name,
America's Icons once stood as a financial landmark,
Now, the world would never again be the same.

Many lives were lost in a senseless, misguided act,
Yet, a united bond of people rendered aid,
Indelibly seared in their open, courageous hearts,
This day of infamy where history has been made.

Anger echoes from the deafening sound of silence,
Fallen heroes will not have died in vain,
A generation recognizes their loyal, selfless efforts,
Challenges are met with empathetic tears of pain.

Manhattan's skyline has been altered forever.
Time is very much needed in order to heal,
The Twins are etched in America's heart,
Those eternal monuments of glass and steel.

Dale Levy

Dominique Alexis Leotta, 12

I wish that these few words of hope
Will help you very much to cope

I know whenever there is a disaster
You are always there much faster

Our true colors are red white and blue
But what really matters are people like you

You are the hero of our state
An opinion that no one can possibly debate

May god send you his bless
To help us clean this big mess

I admire the way in which you support us
Calmly and gently without making a big fuss

I know that when the twin towers went up in flames
What was left of your friends was only their names

But in the next winter spring summer and fall
I will keep for you a space in my heart as wide as a concert hall
Because of you, we will stand very very tall

Although I am only nine
In my heart you will always always shine

Thank you for keeping our country’s own creation
Making us one big loving family nation

Lynn El-Roeiy, 9

to help us look deep inside

to break down the racial divide

to help us care

about a world we're not aware

to hug our children tight

to teach wrong from right

to pray without fear

to keep family and friends near

to appreciate the land of the free

to bring terrorism to its knees

to remember the victims whose lives were cut in half

to appreciate their sacrifice on our behalf

to make us a stronger land

to wave the flag in our hand

to listen as we sing

to let freedom ring

By Connie Hudson

We keep saying we must pray to God
but we are God
our collective conscience IS God
and unless we heal ourselves as a nation
as a universe
we will kill ourselves trying not to.

We all know we must pray for the very person who
angers us the most
therefore it is obvious
we must pray for Bin Laden.

We must pray for Bin Laden
as a nation
as a universe
or we shall perish.

D.L. James

Waking the Eagle
Befeathered now, the tiny warrior
In triumph dances round the blaze,
Filling the night with chants of vict’ry,
In laughing songs of boastful praise;
“I’ve climbed the heights where the Eagle,
Mighty Eagle, found her rest!
“And snatched from there an egg and feather
While she slept upon her nest!”

But then the wise man comes rebuking,
“Do you know what you have done?
“That sleeping Eagle posed no danger,
But with the coming of the sun
“She’ll wake and see and know her loss;
With dreadful cry she’ll voice her pain,
“Then turn her eyes to seek the villain:
Vengeful gaze fall on this plain!”

“I’m not afraid!” the youth’s responds,
With haughty voice filled with distain.
The Eagle’s bloodied, I took her feather:
She’ll not be able to fly again!”
“Not afraid?” the old man counters,
“You think one quill will steal her might?
“The Eagle’s feathers all united
Will bring her here with deadly flight!”

“Lightening filled, a storm of anger,
With dark resolve she’ll fill our skies:
“Mother’s strength will launch her upward,
On mighty vengeful wings she’ll rise!
“That sleeping Eagle, you’ve awaken,
Will haunt our heavens till you die:
“Foolish one, too late you’ll realize,
It’s best to let sleeping Eagles lie!”

Robert D. Wilson

The sun rose and awoke the USA,
We took for granted it was just another ordinary day.
Tuesday, September eleventh, two thousand one,
A day History can not hide from!

It was 8:44 a.m. on the East Coast,
Involved in our morning routines; school, work , tea and toast.
Sixty seconds later,our precious and fragile lives altered forever,
Hateful, destructive terrorists ended thousands of lives altogether.

Planes and fuel, obscene weapons to be used,
Children and adults are dazed and confused.
“How can this happen?” “Why do they hate us so?”
MY ten year old daughter questions, I wipe the tears and reply “I do not know!”

Our citizens have rallied together,it is true,
Everywhere you look proudly flies the RED,WHITE and BLUE!
Firemen, rescue crews, iron workers and citizens are working towards one common goal,
They dig through the destruction and devastation to find just one living soul.

While this tragedy engulfs us like a cobra’s stranglehold,
Americans have joined together, praying, volunteering, unlimited heroes’ stories being told.
Our Armed Services have been put on alert to serve,
Our democracy, peace, and freedom, they will preserve.

We have learned that life is short and often unfair,
But united we stand, so our enemies BEWARE!
Our hearts are heavy with grief, but we are proud,
“GOD BLESS AMERICA”, we say it out loud!

Diane McCarney

In the light of the dawning sun we see the twin giants watching over the great city.
In the setting of the evening sun the twin giants shadow us with comfort and protection.
In the evening moonlight the twin giants guard us as we sleep.

Now as dawn shines on us, our twin giants we no longer see. But in their stead a gaping whole which we call memory.

Evil has come to us and taken our guardians away.
Evil hiding in the shadows of disdain.
Hide there evil for now we weep, now we pray, now we mourn.
But on the dawning of tomorrow we grow strong, we rise and sing our song, we are one, we are UNITED!
We will live on!

Time will pass as time always does. Time will pass and we will turn. On that
turning we will rise to the challenge and all evil will fear our wrath.
America the weak we are not. AMERICA THE STRONG WE ARE!

Strike you may, strike us hard, strike us fast, we will never fall.
America will live on, America will live strong, America will live forever.

God bless our Twin Giants. May they live in our hearts forever.

John Landis Huber Jr.

My hope,
I can't find it.
Where is it?
Behind the sorrow?
I can't turn away,
Can't turn away.
Please, I don't want to be lost.

If only,
If only,
Those six days,
Just six days ago.
I saw it,
I saw the shadow,
The beautiful skyline.
They towered over me,
The endless height,
The blue sky,
I know it was blue.

I remember.
I see my hand over my heart,
Pledging my allegiance,
My allegiance to an American Flag;
To my country.
All I see is that flag.

I can't get outside it.
Everything exploding.
No such thing as normal.
No emotion wrong,
But no possible feeling of right.
I can't go back,
I can't change it,
Oh, but I keep looking back.

All the innocent people.
The children,
The mothers,
The grandpas,
The best friends.
The irreplaceable beings,
That lost their lives
Just to make us
Better Americans.

All the determined heroes
Who wanted to save lives,
To save a country in devastation,
To save themselves.

One plane after another,
Again, and again.
The crumbling of trust,
The undermining of freedom;
It's building upon me all over.

The life of our country,
It's altered.
It's numb.
We weep from the ground
As we look around at what once was,
All that could have been.

Tomorrow,
Maybe tomorrow,
We can find that light,
That light at the end;
And we can believe…again.

Jessica Rudolph

Today 6585 souls cried out
Not in pain-for that was gone in an instant
Not for justice-as they knew only God's mercy
Their's was a mournful goodbye
A last call of love
A whisper for peace.

Now their voices are silent
We hear them no more
They are covered under the rubble
The sounds of sirens and cranes working
Digging, looking for answers
Finding none.

Because we are not listening
We cannnot above the shouts of war
The troops marching and supplies moving.

And yet 6585 souls are crying
Calling to us still
Are we listening?
Will we before it's too late?

May God have mercy on us all
To listen as they say --
Goodbye
Love
Peace.

Kathy Miller

It is not how loud
but how true
we speak,
Hear me now.
We face
a faceless
adversary,
And it is all man's
enemy
Its name is Hatred.
And Hatred is deadly
It is a belief system,
distorted emotion,
but not a woman or man.
A child learns it
only if taught it
by another's hand.
Call it prejudice,
arrogance,
superiority,
supremacy,
human vanity,
or our tendency to
misunderstand.
Religions teach the golden rule
Man ignores it and is more the fool.
I repeat -
It is the hatred
not the people
we must defeat.

Fighting fire with fire
destroys all in the fire's range,
Only a flood of understanding
can douse these flames.

Hear me now.

Do not let hatred consume
or earth's people are doomed,

Hear me now.

There are those who would
return the blast of Hiroshima
for the blow of Pearl Harbor

The cost is too high.

Warriors are brave but they are not wise.

Might does not make right
But right always makes might
unconquered by time.

We cheat ourselves
If we knowingly let history
repeat itself.

It is not how loud you speak
but how true.

Hear me now.

Valerie Van Pham

It was a sunny day in New York City and Washington DC.
Who would have expected such horror to see?
But from the skies, terror did rain
Because of men who were clearly insane.

So many missing, so many dead.
Surely God must be crying tears of blood red.
Who would have done such a thing of hate?
Who could have decided so many innocent people's fate?

People were seen in lands far away.
Celebrating the deaths of that day.
Surely God, so loving and forgiving, must be crying
That his children would celebrate so many innocents dying.

The hijackers murdered and destroyed so many lives.
Children, parents, brothers, sisters, husbands, and wives.
Yet these cowards believed they would be rewarded at Heaven's gates?
By taking away so many good people's loving mates?

Their message, if there was one, was lost.
Unless it was simply "to die as cowards and murderers at any cost."
The nation and the world tries to make sense of the events of that day,
But truth be told, one can not make sense of minds full of such decay.

Twisting the message of God, Mohammed and the Qur'an.
These men and their leaders played their great con.
And now the world weeps for the city that never sleeps
And for all those lost for keeps

Because wicked people with cold hearts
Cared little for the lives of others or their own.
And surely not from God nor religion
Could have such hatred been sown.

And all the while, God cries.

William J. Kraftsow

A cup of coffee a mother, a brother, partner, a father, victim, associate, acquaintance,
an office a policeman, hero, an anchor, a trader, poet, a pilot, a daughter, an advisor,
a window a fireman, teacher, a lover, a lawyer, dreamer, a son, an AMERICAN
connected in the
daily routine.

newspapers, advertisement crisp, clear blue skies
merging corporations, warm early fall breeze
deadlines, buy, sell without warning
information saturation mourning

the search for truth headlines of heinous crimes a Nation
answers to our youth resounding cries
evil exists of why.
in vivid images

a symbolic skyline disappears

sublime persists spirits rise

collective fear a United tear

a moment of collapse our hands clasp

in a prayer for peace as the world grieves.

May we continue yet always remember

Inspiration from above Hope, Love

Tiffany Johnson

In a grotesque disorder of things
are cast a thousand wailing souls
and a thousand more
and again
0 filling the hallowed floodgates
with its unexpected surge

conventions of time and sequence
are shattered
destiny and potential
torn asunder
ripped away from its moorings
of stability and purpose

hopes and aspirations, deleted
the scales are broken, betrayed
and this balancing act of civility
versus faceless hatred
is met with designed chaos
premeditated mayhem

but as tides push and pull
balance regains itself
inevitably, always
as darkness at dawn
falls away to light
banished from the sky

and somewhere from the dirt
a tree grows in Manhattan
abruptly, with full intent
from the renewable decay of life
to fill in once more that space
to see the sun again

George Filip

One Man's Lament

The torch of freedom still burns bright
High in the sculptured lady's hand
And casts its rays of truth a-flight
To every corner of our land.

So let it stand and we, also,
With patriotic love unfeigned
While through the world her torch's glow
Still beckons all who call her name.
Tom Gibson

Joe Mooney

'Tis thus a wicked century begins-
With slaughtered innocents-like all the rest,
And God is mocked by pious, bloody sins
The blasphemy of thinking murder blessed.
Our people cry for peace - they bring us war.
We long for love-they bring us death and hate.
So we appeal, as we have done before,
To let the Lord of Battles choose our fate.

The way ahead is hard and long and bleak,
The sword is thrust, unwanted, in our hand.
But for our murdered children we must seek
To extirpate this terror from our land.
A grim and angry nation counts the toll,
And bids our waiting legions now, "Let's Roll."

Robert A. Hall

More cries, more mad screams tore through the heavy, gray, acrid air piercing his eardrums.
He shot up to his feet.

Again, the priest began his run. He slowed to a jog. Then a walk. Then he stopped.
He removed his own dusted cover.
Then knelt down next to another fallen hero.
His knees sank into the debris and dust.