story2125.xml

story2125.xml

born-digital

story

yes

no

2002-09-10

On September 11th I was working at home, listening to the afternoon radio show I like, when the music was interupted to say that The World Trade centre was under attack. It was time for a coffee, so I stopped and turned on the TV, nothing could have prepared me for the event I was to witness.
The images were so difficult to watch, yet I found it impossible to turn off as my mind and body experienced so many emotions. I was angry that I felt compelled to watch, I was angry that one human being could want to inflict such pain on an other, I was angry that I was stuck 3,000 miles away across the Atlantic and could do nothing to help. What was happening may have been in New York, but those people were dying an arms length away on my TV screen.
I was devastated, scared for my children, no-one can want a World war, and all the events of that day led to me writing the following poem.

?REMEMBER ME?


CLOSE YOUR EYES, CAN YOU HERE ME? I?VE SOMETHING TO SAY
PLEASE BE STRONG, HELP EACH OTHER SURVIVE,
THINK OF ME, EVEN TALK TO ME, I?M WITH YOU EACH DAY,
NOW YOUR MEMORIES WILL KEEP ME ALIVE.

I?M SORRY I?M NOT THERE, TO PROVE THAT I CARE,
AND I?M SORRY FOR ANY TEARS I MADE YOU CRY,
IF I EVER TOOK YOU FOR GRANTED, THEN THAT WAS UNFAIR,
PLEASE FORGIVE ME, OR AT LEAST, WILL YOU TRY.

REMEMBER EACH DAY, AS YOUR SUN GOES AWAY,
YOUR NIGHTS ARE NOT AS DARK AS THEY SEEM,
I?M THE SHADOWS THAT TOUCH YOU AND KISS YOU GOOD NIGHT,
I?LL KEEP YOU WARM AND SAFE IN YOUR DREAMS.

I WISH I COULD HUG YOU, HOLD YOU SO TIGHT,
AND CHASE AWAY ALL YOUR FEARS,
I JUST WISH I COULD SOOTHE AWAY ALL YOUR PAIN,
AND KISS AWAY ALL YOUR TEARS.

NOW PLEASE REMEMBER MY GRIN, AND THE WAY I WALKED IN,
MY HELLO, MY EXCUSES, MY GOODBYE,
AND REMEMBER MY DARES, OR JUST THE SMELL OF MY HAIR,
AND ALL OUR DREAMS, THAT WERE ?PIE IN THE SKY.?

AND REMEMBER MY LIFE, AND ALL THOSE SONGS THAT I LIKED,
OR THE MAD WAY I RAN UP THE STAIRS.
WHEN YOU LEFT ME ALONE, I ALWAYS WISHED YOU WOULD PHONE, I ALWAYS MISSED YOU WHEN YOU WEREN?T THERE.

DRAW STRENGTH FROM ME NOW, MAKE ME PROUD, HOW YOU?LL GROW,
RISE ABOVE, SPREAD YOUR WINGS, BE SO FREE,
AND MAY PEACE RULE YOUR LIFE, FILLED WITH LAUGHTER AND LOVE,
AND FROM TIME TO TIME, THINK OF ME
AND WHEN YOU DO, REMEMBER HOW I LOVED YOU.
I KNOW HOW MUCH YOU LOVED ME.

FRED BEACH SEPT 11TH 2001



?REMEMBER ME? WAS WRITTEN ON THE NIGHT OF SEPTEMBER 11TH, THE EVENTS OF THAT DAY PLAYED ON MY MIND, AND I WROTE THE POEM FROM THE POINT OF YOU POSSIBLY OF ONE OF THOSE LOST. I TRIED TO IMAGINE WHAT IT WOULD BE LIKE TO LOSE YOUR LIFE SO UNEXPECTEDLY, AND WHAT, IF IT WERE POSSIBLE, I WOULD WANT TO SAY TO MY FAMILY AND FRIENDS. SO IT?S MY FEELINGS DEDICATED TO THOSE LOST AND THOSE SUFFERING THE LOSS, IT WAS QUITE DIFFICULT TO DO, NOT FINDING THE WORDS, BUT RIDING MY EMOTIONS, COUPLED OF COURSE WITH THE EMOTIONS OF THE DAY, I?M GLAD THIS WASN?T A REALITY FOR ME, BUT HOPEFULLY THERE IS SOMEONE OUT THERE WHO CAN RELATE TO MY FEELINGS, AND TAKE MY WORDS AND TURN THEM INTO THEIR OWN MEMORY OF SOMEONE THEY LOVED AND LOST.
I THINK IT WORKS, FRIENDS AND FAMILY CAN RELATE TO IT, IT WOULD BE NICE TO KNOW THAT SOMEONE THERE IN NEW YORK LIKES IT TOO.
I DID SEND THE POEM TO NEW YORK LAST YEAR, BUT WITH SO MUCH GOING ON, I HAVE KNOW IDEA WHAT RESPONSE IT MAY HAVE GOT ,IF ANY, SO MAYBE NOW ALMOST A YEAR ON, IS A MORE SUITABLE TIME .
ON THAT NIGHT I WAS TIRED BUT COULDN?T SLEEP, I SCRIBBLED DOWN THOUGHTS AND WORDS REALLY JUST TO PASS THE TIME, BUT WHEN I READ WHAT I HAD WRITTEN THE NEXT DAY, THOSE WORDS MADE ME CRY.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME, KEEP SMILING NEW YORK.
FRED BEACH ( JUST AN ORDINARY GUY)