story10136.xml

story10136.xml

born-digital

story

yes

no

2003-09-23

Towers of Memories
September 11, 2001
This poem is dedicated to all those who lost their lives on this day, in New York, in Washington and in Pennsylvania. It is also dedicated to everyone who celebrates a birthday on this day, including my sister, Rhonda.
May we never have to witness or experience anything like this again.
Written by Mark Teel
Brother, Canadian, Neighbor, Friend

It was six o?clock that morning, when my wife came running in,
She said ?Quickly turn on the TV, you won?t believe what?s happening?;
?A plane has hit the Trade Center and it?s filled with smoke and flame?
How could this be possible? Perhpas bad weather was to blame?

I didn?t think that it would be too bad, if it was a Cessna, or Cherokee,
But nothing could have prepared me for what I was about to see.
I grabbed the remote, turned the TV on and I couldn?t believe my eyes
There was this massive, gaping, burning hole and smoke just filled the skies.

I thought right then that this must have been planned, and was no freak accident
By the size of the hole, the massive flames, the metal torn and bent.
I watched as the fires burned intense, debris fell down like rain
I knew that what had caused this was no little private plane.

I sat stunned as a news station showed a tape, it was a commercial jet!
Fully loaded with people and tons of fuel, how deadly can you get?
I could clearly see the wing outline left upon the towers face,
The entire plane, the passengers were gone without a trace.

And as my mind was trying to grasp the horror that was going on,
A breaking news flash from Washington, a plane had smashed into the Pentagon.
It was quite clear to me that this was war, one that came without a warning,
A war that would change our world forever on that sunny, September morning.

I watched in New York as the fire crews raced to the deadly scene
While bodies were falling from above, like some unimaginable dream;
You could see them walking carefully as they entered the tower?s door
Some of whom would never leave again, to be with their families no more.

The reality of what was happening was slowly sinking in,
This was the work of pure evil, masquerading as human bones and skin.
And as I watched in disbelief, out of the corner of the screen,
Another plane was approaching fast; you could hear the people scream.

The second tower shook with fear as that weapon tore inside
Hundreds more lives just vaporized in the blink of Satan?s eye;
The tower swayed and fire raged as hatred roared within,
Could anyone make it out alive? Hope was surely running thin!

It was amazing to me that with their souls a blaze, both ladies stood their ground
Allowing precious minutes for survivors to be found.
A chance for some to make it out, and time for others to try,
Some time to make that last call home, a chance to say goodbye.

The city was in a panic now as both towers stood in flames,
The streets looked like a war zone; they would never look the same.
People were running, and screaming and crying as emergency crews roared past,
They had to get to the towers to help; they had to get there fast.

More firefighters and rescue crews, more police and EMS
Continued rushing in to save the few, who knew what would happen next?
As rescue efforts continued on, and firemen began to climb each stair,
The inferno far above had softened the steel and bolts began to tear.

Tower two?s metal beams so warped by heat, could no longer stand the crushing weight,
And so with one gigantic roar she sealed her dwellers? fate.
It took less than a minute for every floor of her majestic body to fall,
Leaving a pile of twisted burning rubble only seven stories tall.

Her sister still standing next to her, shuddered sadly as she fell
Her twin so tall and beautiful, now a shattered broken shell.
But deep within herself she knew that her death was also near,
For as the fires ate away inside, her own metal beams began to shear.

On the streets below chaos reigned as a solid wall of dust
Choked everything and everyone in a gagging three inch crust.
The sky went black and then turned grey as the dust began to settle,
But then from high above, another sound of bending breaking metal.

A mighty groan from tower one, for she could stand alone no more,
Her floors began to collapse straight down, heading toward the city floor.
She cried out loud as her body fell, it sounded like a train
Her beautiful dress of metal and glass falling to the ground like rain.

Around the world its people stopped and at TV screens they stared,
While her broken body fell to earth, next to her sister?s there.
In a single instant their once proud frames of high finance and dreams
Were reduced to nothing but broken concrete and twisted smoking beams.

As the dust began to settle once more, most of the world was deep in prayer,
Praying for all the families and the innocent people now buried there.
And as the New York landscape appeared into view, the devastation was beyond belief.
But sadly it could hardly compare to the families? sadness and their grief.

As I sat on the couch in sadness and shock at the attacks that had taken place,
My heart went out to those families and tears streamed down my face.
A brutal reminder of how precious life is, and the importance of family
For it only takes a mere split second to go from time to eternity.

It was just about then that reports started to come in, about another plane
This one didn?t reach its target, though it killed innocent people just the same.
The difference was that the passengers on-board had found out what had taken place,
They decided that enough was enough, and they stared evil in the face.

They rushed the hijackers in the plane and broke through the cockpit door
They struggled with the terrorists, giving all they had and more
And when the terrorists knew they?d lost, and they had nothing left to yield,
They forced the plane into a dive and it crashed into a field.

It?s so sad to think that there are people in this world that are so filled with hate,
That they would willingly sacrifice themselves and seal the innocents? fate
But it soon became clear that the terrorists had failed to achieve their goal
Because they under estimated the human spirit, so filled with heart and soul.

The buildings, they lay in ruins in a pit so deep and wide,
And the thousands of innocent victims there, may they rest in peace, inside.
But out of the ashes and smoke and dust came strength beyond any scale;
A unity that had never been seen, a bond that will not fail.

You see they tried to beat us, and so many people lost their lives,
The list included all walks of life, sons and daughters, husbands, wives.
And although the symbols of business and power no longer stand up tall,
We took all that those cowards had to give, we stumbled but did not fall.

So on this day, for years to come, I will think of the souls that were lost,
For who would have thought that freedom should have come at such a cost.
And so here is something to think about as you carry on your way,
Remember life is precious and time is short, so be thankful for each day.

And before you leave for work tomorrow, tell your family you love them so
For what the future holds in store, is something we just don?t know.