email536.xml

email536.xml

born-digital

email

unknown

yes

2002-08-21

well --
here we are in the morning. julia and i just came back from a walk around the
neighborhood. we sat on the promenade and looked toward where the towers used
to be -- there is still a huge cloud of smoke rising upwards, as things are
still burning over there.
we are both having a weird kind of selective memory loss -- we almost can't
remember what the bldgs looked like -- we can barely remember them burning,
and the collapse of the first tower that was so vivid yesterday, as i try to
remember it, my brain shuts it off and won't let me go there. I sat
there,looking at the smoke colums and empty space and just cried. i didn't
really cry very much yesterday - it was mostly shock, but today... the tears
won't stop.
i think i am going to sit in a church now. though the promenade is like a
church, there are tons of people there, as there were yesterday, just sitting
and looking.it is our kind of memorial, as it is as close as we can get.

i realize that for the rest of the country may have a harder time grasping
this all... we are so in the middle of it. partially because of the
compactness of this city, but also cause we are directly across the narrow
part of the river from the towers. the humanity of it is in our faces. we are
seeing people waliking around in a daze.

the smoke smell is horrible -- it is so bad, it burns the inside of your
nose.we finally had to open the windows..

we were walking around the 'hood and saw 4 fireman, walking towards the
brooklyn bridge, headed back to the debris. they were of course, some of the
first guys there, cause we are so close. at the same time two women passed us
and said they had lost 7 guys from that company -- and they only have two
trucks, so there is no way the company is very big. we both started crying.
seeing those firemen walk towards the bridge, knowing their friends have
died, going to risk their lives again... i can't tell you the pain this
caused us. then we walked by the firehouse and saw discarded gear covered
with soot and layers of ash and dust.

i have a friend who is a fireman, and as of midnight last night, he was safe
and accounted for. i feel very lucky.

the sirens have not stopped since yesterday morning.
the news is non stop -- pictures of downtown - terrifying -- and constant
interviews with people with pictures, and stories, looking for people who are
still missing. some of them spoke to their loved ones after the first plane
hit, and now cannot find them . it is awful.
i did hear a story of one guy, he was on the 102nd floor of the first bldg
hit -- didn't listen to anyone's adivce, and took the elevator and is alive.

we are going to try to give blood today -- julia has type O blood and she was
turned away yesterday cause the had no more supplies to take it.

okay -- well.. i guess this is all for now.
we are keeping the email on most of the day again.
this is so surreal, i feel like i am watching a flim.the world has changed.
hope everyone is well.
love to all

Wed, 12 Sep 2001 12:45:38 EDT

morning after in the city