Friday, September 9, 2011

That horrible day in Sept., 2001. . .

Back when I was in HS, we used to go down to NYC on weekends. A buddy of mine had music classes every Sat. moerning, so he would drive and I'd just go with him and hang out. Quite a few ties I found myself down on the lower west side staring up at the incredible towers they were building. It was called "The World Trade Center" and it was going to be the tallest building in the world. Not just one, but TWO identical towers. The top few floors were always wrapped in yellow plastic and over the months, that yellow plastic got higher and higher until it was so fucking high up you could hardly believe it. They were amazing structures to see, but back then, we were flying spaceships to the Moon where 10 years before, they were still not flying jets into Laguardia Airport, so amazing things were almost standard faire for the time. We expected such things. and like going to the Moon, I was fascinated with the Twin Towers. I'd walk down West Side Drive and just stare up at them. For decades after that, every time I went to NYC, I'd look downtown and eye the World Trade Center. They stood out like giant monuments on the greatest urban skyline in the world.

when I saw one of them burning that day ten years ago I was sick. I couldn't believe it. Then incredibly, the other one was attacked. Till that point, no one was sure what was going on. Then, as we watched in horror, the first tower of the World Trade Center collapsed. The TV announcer didn't know what was happening, but it was obvious to me that the tower has collapsed. I could not believe what I had just seen and I never felt such a horrible feeling inside of me. The tower had collapsed and I was sure there had to be many thousands of people inside who were being crushed before my eyes. Then the second one went. Twice the horror and the feeling inside was wretched. I thought I was going to vomit so I ran to the bathroom. When I got there I sat down and cried like a little baby. I never felt such despair in my life. All those people vanished and those beautiful towers that I loved as icons of greatness, gone. It was perhaps the worse day of my life. I know it was the worse feeling I ever had inside of me.

Whenever I think of that day I think of those towers collapsing and the true horror that I felt inside myself. I don't have nightmares anymore about, but that nasty feeling creeps in now and then. I can only imagine how those who were there felt. I can only imagine the horror of those who watched, knowing that perhaps their loved one was inside those building.

I later learned that more people from my own hometown died at The World Trade Center than from any place outside of NYC. I know and have met many who had friends, co-workers and relatives who died there.

So here we are ten years later and sometimes it seems like only yesterday that it happened. Hard to believe that it's been ten years, but now, everywhere I look there are signs all over the place saying "Never Forget," and pictures of the burning tower posted all over the place.

OK, so here's all I really want to say:
I've been trying to forget for ten years. I've been trying not to relive that day for ten years. So, why don't you people with your signs and your superficial patriotic bullshit just take it all and shove it up your fucking asses and shut the fuck up!

1 comment:

Herbert Weaver said...

Hear that. The thing that most sickens me a decade later is how we let the dumb schmuck neocons behave exactly how bin Laden hoped we would in response and win his jihad for him. Where are we now? Broke, stuck in constant war.