I
have my blade. It feels hard. I can�t stop shaking.
I
feel sick, but for my country, I�ll do it.
Look
at them, not a fucking care in the world, sleeping still.
Going
back to a country full of chaos (breathes deep)
Help
me. I will find strength in this
cause.
This
is it. I must do this. I can�t fail.
This
plane is too quiet. We�re almost
to New York.
Almost
time. Stay strong.
This
is what I worked so hard for
The
honor. Stay faithful. Do not deter.
Fierce.
Maintain control.
They
can�t stop me. They won�t stop me.
My
life is meaningless�the cause is everything.
(Shaun
L.)
It�s
too cold in this room.
I�m
still so tired.
I�ve
been here way too long
But
my time�s almost up
What?
The room is shaking
Sounded
like a bomb. Shit.
I�m
getting colder. I need
to
get to the stairs.
No
one else has started
running. I gotta move.
Out
of my way! They won�t budge.
She�s
getting hurt.
But
I�m sure she�s okay.
Smoke.
Too much smoke in here.
I
gotta get out of here.
I�m
back in my office
The
room is still shaking.
Or
am I? It�s both.
It�s
smoking in here
Everyone
went up. No.
There�s
a man grabbing the fire extinguisher.
What�s
he doing, what am I doing?
I
have to get downstairs
run
to the elevators. I�m shaking.
(Shaun
L.)
I
was pissed at the fact that I had
to
trek all the way to the fuckin� Bronx.
Takin�
the goddamn 6 train is a real
pain
all mornin� long�any day of the week.
So
there I am, waitin� for this
Dominican
grocery store owner
to
sign for the package.
For
christsake! Can he be any slower.
What
are you doin�?
Readin�
the fine print on the package slip? Geezus.
Then
I hear it
�Prende
la television, Jorge!!
Algo
est� pasando downtown!�
The
guy in the back of the store
Yelled
at the guy I was waitin� for
to
turn the TV on �cause somethin�
was
happenin� downtown.
When
the little TV screen on the other side of
the
counter lit up�I saw one of the Towers
bellowin�
smoke from on top
What
the _____?
I
thought some idiot must of
been
given his Pilot�s license
for
cryin� out loud.
We
stood there
starin�
then
another
plane
smacked
into the other Tower!
This
wasn�t no freakin� accident!
Me
and Jorge stared at each other
in
disbelief.
Getting�
back to Manhattan was
gonna
be a bitch!
(Jos�
M.)
I
was rushing to get ready for school that morning.
The
morning the airplane hit the two towers,
I
ran into my parents� room
in
search of a lost hair-band.
Silly
urgency
They
were both frozen
staring
at the television.
�
A plane crashed into the World Trade Center,�
my
father told me.
Now
that�s an unfortunate accident. Awful
I
thought to myself.
As
I watched, one tower fell before my eyes
on
that TV screen.
How
horrible
Before
I knew it, the second tower was hit
and
it fell too.
What
technical malfunction is responsible for
this?
I wondered.
Such
a tragedy.
Oh,
it wasn�t an accident
was
the next piece of news.
Even
more horrible
Who
could do this?
Who
could plan such an intentional plot of death?
Who
hated the U.S. this much?
I�m
going to be hearing about this for
a
long time
I
thought
to
myself.
This
will go down in history.
I
never found my hair-tie
not
important anymore.
(Jenny
F.)
I
was still asleep that morning when it happened.
I
didn�t watch TV or listen to the radio.
It
wasn�t until I went downstairs in the elevator
to
try to catch
the
early train, so I could stop at Starbucks before work
that
Mr. Flynn from the 1st floor
told
me I wouldn�t be going to work that day
or
stopping at Starbucks
or
taking the train at all.
At
first I didn�t think about the jeans I folded
or
the dresses on the racks
or
the cash in the safety deposit box, ready for the bank in a zippered bag
All
of it flaming up like a little forest under fluorescent lights.
I
had spent the morning getting pretty, straightening
my
hair, zipping up my black ankle boots
and
was so upset
that
it had all been such a waste.
(Rachel
F.)
Oh
my God. A group of men have emerged with box cutters
and
they�re demanding our cooperation or else
they
will blow up this flight. Fear
prickling like
a
thousand needles, and I can�t feel my body.
To
my left and right sit Pa and little brother.
Their
eyes are also white with fear.
Time crystallized and
I�m
overwhelmed with nostalgia. Is
this going to be
my
last hour? What about my mother?
I
forgot to kiss her good by this morning.
Will
Joey
ever forgive me for crashing his car?
Millions
of thoughts run through my mind
like
a lotus infestation. The men are
entering
the captain�s cabin, and they�re stabbing the pilot.
I
leap to my feet.
(Don
N.)
Oh
shit! No way! Ah Man! Mom! Mom!
I
heard through my floor.
I�m
in trouble, here I go down, down,
down, Slowly turning the door knob.
I
hear, Yodel, come quick. A plane
just
went
into one of the Towers.
I�m
�What and, Oh shit! No way!�
All
of a sudden, �Check it out.
Another
plane just his the other Tower.
What�s
going on? I don�t get it. Me neither.
Mom!
Otro avion choca en la otra terre.
Jesus,
Que esta pasando y porque
esta
in toda las noticias.
The
planes� scenes are done with and I leave
I
stop at Ralph�s and I tell the clerk,
Two
planes crashed into the Twin Towers in
New
York. The guy behind me says,
And
one in the Pentagon. We say,
What?
I�m, �What�s going on?�
And
off to work I go.
At
work I hear a co-worker say,
Should
have crashed into the Statue of Liberty.
(Yolanda
P.)
I
thought I had the easiest job in the world
Something
happens, I report it.
That�s
my job and that�s what I do�
I�m
not a bad reporter either
I
don�t think�
But
how can I possibly bear this news long enough to report it?
Can�t
I be used in some other way?
Suddenly
the story about all the local
car
robberies doesn�t seem that boring�
I�d
give anything to be reporting that story now�
Anything
but this
My
God� how do I even begin?
(Julio
R.)
The
tall man
the
one with the knife
I
had a feeling something wasn�t
right
with him.
He
kept looking around
nervously
and fidgety
When
the time came
the
time for our destruction
he
stood up
ferocity
in his eyes
and
death in his voice
I
knew then
that
I would never see my
baby
girl
I
would never feel
her
soft pudgy arms
around
my neck.
In
that moment
I
feared for our world
I
knew that America�s comfort
would
be permanently tampered with
and
my baby girl
would
not have a mother
to
keep her warm
and
protect her
from
the fate
of
the world.
(Sarah
S.)
I
woke up to complete silence that morning which was unusual in my house.
The
running around and hurriedness were replaced by somber quiet. I walked
into
the living room and found my parents
glued
to the TV with a confused, �is-this-really-happening� look on their face.
I
didn�t say a word and just sat down in between the both of them on the couch.
Hearing
the news anchor say that yet another plane had hit the building
brought
the reality of what was going on.
My mother said, �Thank God
Mike
flew home last week from the city.�
I
immediately felt guilty for thinking the same thing.
Someone
else�s brother was on that plane.
(Salina
D.)
Tall
black and white, non-fat
hazelnut
and toffee nut, please
EXTRA
HOT�
And
hurry, I�m late!
The
machine grinded and roared
as
if the gates of Hell had erupted,
The
steam filled the air
and
I nearly suffocated
for
my early morning fix.
The
lights flickered
like
lightning�
I
wish they would change
like
lightning�
I
wish they would change the damn bulbs,
And
hurry the hell up
Finally
my drink, so warm and familiar
I
take a sip�
sour
like week-old milk
I
turn around and
my
world crumbles
Hell
had showed up
My
fix is dismissed
I
bend to clean the spill.
(Chiqueena
L.)
Damn,
I know now what that explosion was 2 floors up.
I
can feel the flames inching their way towards me.
Nowhere
to run.
The
broken window in front of me sucking me out like a vacuum,
but
the soothing breeze cools the itching burn
clawing
its way up my back.
Why?
Has
Hell finally found me for all the bad things I�ve done?
No
more room in my mind for unanswerable questions.
I
can feel all my thoughts bubbling up and
my
memories vaporizing.
No
better choice.
I
choose the easy way out.
I
choose the cool, soothing wind,
I
choose the sky.
(Rocky
M.)
I
woke up with heavy eyelids that morning.
My
backpack filled with books I don�t
care
about, and the school I damn
well
don�t give a squat about, but both
I
was forced to make friends with.
Just
then the special report came on the news,
Plane
going clear through the tallest building
in
New York, then another.
For
a moment I thought how can America, the
strongest
country on earth be so vulnerable;
And
the pictures of people plunging themselves
below
the burning inferno, left by two planes
made
me realize even more that America can
be
defenseless, and that there are countries
that
hate America enough to do something like this.
Since
then the American flags I rarely saw
are
seen everywhere: on the house, on the car,
and
even on the shirts of many Americans with
�God
bless America� on them like the whole world
is
�with America,� even when it comes to other
countries
killing the people of different colors
the
same way they killed Americans on 9/11.
Sure
I have no way of understanding the hearts
of
the victims and the bereaved.
But
neither can I fathom the pain and anguish of
the
people in the Middle East dying by the hands of
the
Americans. You�d call me a traitor
for feeling
sympathy
for these people perhaps,
all
these foreigners with different religions and creeds.
But
hey, I�m that foreigner too.
(Hyunwoo/Gus
S.)
I�m
up early, on my way to work
at
the caf�,
the
turn-and-burn, hustle-bustle
town
breakfast joint,
usually,
but
not today.
I
first hear the news on the radio,
an
airplane has accidentally
crashed
into the twin towers
oh,
how tragic, I hope everyone is ok.
They�re
not�
The
restaurant is dead
A
few people quietly eat their breakfast
and
go.
A
TV�s been set up by the front counter
We
watch, no one speaks,
Only
shake their heads and sigh.
WHAT?
AGAIN?
This
is no accident! THEN AGAIN!
How
could this be?
Osama
bin who?
I
don�t know anyone in NY
or
at the Pentagon.
It
doesn�t matter, I cry anyway
I
cry for all those people
the
friends and family they left behind
I
cry for our country, our way of life
so
hated by those who plotted against us.
The
world is quiet,
and
cold
and
sad
and
lonely.
(Natalie
S.)
It�s
not that I�m an uncaring person
I
just remember I was distracted�I was trying to
prepare
for my freshman comp class.
A
colleague, Sandra, came in�I heard her say, �A plane
just
crashed in the World Trade Center.�
Sitting
in front of my computer at Western Carolina University, I tried to remember
--the
World Trade Center, where was it?
I
went back to prepping for class.
Then
Gayle arrived, �A plane just crashed into the World Trade Center.�
I
left my office, headed to the electronic classroom to meet my freshmen.
CNN
was on; my students and I watched
transfixed�before
our eyes, people jumped to their deaths,
a
second plane sliced the Towers,
one
of my students left in tears; her father was at the
Pentagon.
(Dr.
Warner)
Shit. My stomach�s in my throat.
It
feels like the time we tried to land at JFK
during
Hugo. Or was it Doris?
back
in k985
when
the storm whipped the plane
and
several of us screamed.
I
threw up
into
my Frankfurter Allgemein
but
this time I have sons
and
the reality of dying
when
they storm the cockpit and attack these
terrorists
is
real. Inevitable even.
The
guy with the phone said
two
planes have hit the WTC Towers.
Planes
filled with people
mothers,
daughters, lovers, friends
And
here I sit, all those things.
Who
will raise my boys?
Who
will raise the orphans from this nightmare?
There�s
nothing to be done.
Nothing
but sit here and wait.
With
my heart pounding in my ears,
my
stomach in my throat.
(Jeannine
B-U.)
�I
just called, to say, I love you�
My
husband woe me from a dream early that morning.
I
thought it was weird
that
he would call so early.
That
thought quickly passed
when
I realized the desperate tone in his voice.
He
told me,
�I
love you.�
Then,
he
hung up.
I
got up from bed, took a shower and
turned
the TV on to the morning show.
There,
I saw it:
the
Twin Towers crumbling down,
shattering
the
same way my heart did
when
I realized
my
husband
just
called me
from
the plane.
(Alerie
F.)
My
seat was 15D
across,
and down one row in 14C,
sat
a man.
He
was fidgeting
clasping
and unclasping
his
sweaty hands.
His
eyes darted
nervously
each
time a fellow passenger
laughed
or coughed or sneezed.
I
felt sorry for him.
I
thought he was afraid
afraid
of flying.
As
we crossed the Pacific
the
captain�s voice came over the loudspeaker:
�We
are now entering New York.�
14C
seemed to calm.
I
figured because he knew he would be
landing
soon.
How
wrong I was
I
leaned across 15E to look out the window.
The
beautiful twin towers climbed into the sky,
the
sun glinting off them
like
a beacon of hope.
There
was a shout from the back of the plane.
14C
jumped up and followed men running
toward
the cockpit.
In
a matter of seconds,
the
co-pilot stumbled out of the cockpit,
bleeding.
He
announced the captain was dead
Our
plane had been taken by terrorists
Women
screamed
Children
cried
Men
jumped up and headed for the cockpit
valiantly
trying to save us all.
Seconds
later, the nose of the plane
was
pointed toward the towers.
(Jennifer
J.)
My
alarm goes off and on comes the radio
�Airplane
crashes into Twin Towers�
I
thought I was still dreaming
so
I look at the clock once more
and
listen to what is being said:
�About
10 minutes ago an American Airlines
plane
crashed into one of the Twin Towers�
I
storm out of bed and tell my mom,
in
shock
we
race to the TV
one
of the towers in flames
Another
plane appears on the screen
The
other tower now is flames
I
don�t understand what I see
They
said one plane had crashed
and
now there are two planes that have crashed
can
this really be?
Both
the towers engulfed in flames
A
tragedy happening before our eyes
I
get ready for school and
Listen
to the radio in the car
Two
more plane crashes
one
in Washington
one
in Pennsylvania
I
get to school and still in a state of shock
I
go to my first class then
school
is cancelled
I
go home and stare at the TV
shocked
by these events
I
don�t understand what happened
(Julia
K.)
It
was a typical morning.
The
alarm clock went off
I
reluctantly got out of bed and
flipped
on the radio.
Music
always made getting dressed
more
fun.
There
was no music that
morning�
only
worried voices of announcers
reporting
something about New York City.
A
plane flew into a building?
I
went across the hall to my
parent�s
room, my mom had the
TV
on.
There
is was
one
of the twin towers with a
gaping
hole.
I
asked my mom what happened,
she
didn�t know.
No
one did.
Then
moments later the second plane
hit
the second tower�
this
was no accident.
The
reporters called it
�terrorism.�
We
called my dad, to see if he
knew
He
did.
He
hung up with us to call my
grandparents�
He
was worried about our family in
New
York
were
they in Manhattan when the
city
was attacked?
All
day long our eyes were glued to
the
television.
(Amanda
M.)
Oh,
my God!
The
door to the elevator won�t open
same
with the door to the stairs.
We�re
here�on the eightieth floor.
How
can we get out?
Can
we get out?
Will
someone get up here to save us?
No.
Oh,
my God!
We�re
going to die�up here in the smoke and flames.
No.
There
must be a way.
There
has to be a way.
I
want to see my wife, hold my children.
Oh
my God!
Bill
is breaking a window with a chair.
Good.
It will give us some fresh air.
That�s
a big hole he�s made.
That�ll
help.
Oh
my God!
Bill
jumped�just jumped out.
He�s
dead.
Bill�s
dead.
He
jumped to avoid the flames.
He
jumped so he would not burn to death.
He
jumped because he would pass out in
the
fall and avoid the pain�the slow
horrible
pain.
Now
Sue is jumping.
No!
This
can�t be happening.
All
this can�t be happening.
We
should be discussing quarterly results.
The
flames are now so near, so unbearably hot.
What
can I do? What can I do?
I
need to follow Bill.
(David
M.)
Strange
thing is I woke up first that morning.
Me,
the one who�s almost always late
for
school, late for breakfast on Sunday, the one who always
has
to take the cold shower.
Why
did I wake up from a dead sleep and
flip
on the television, the worst thing I have ever seen
on
every channel.
No
one questioned my frantic
barge
into their room�Mom,
Dad,
brother, they just gathered
Around
the TVs with undivided attention.
Watching
in disbelief as the plane hit the second tower.
My
father snapped out of our collective trance first;
he
said, �We need to pray because I need to leave.�
I
put my daughter in his arms as he
said
the fireman�s prayer and we
all
clutched arms as we said the
Our
Father.
Dry-eyed
and dazed we watched
my
dad leave to do what he could.
What
could he do?
He
should have stayed home to protect us.
(Danyelle
O.)
The
morning�s still warm in early fall/late summer
I
take a break up top
outside
in the roof garden
where
workers are allowed
gardens. �Worker morale,�
management
labels it,
letting
stiff-suit stock brohers
cultivate
a more creative side.
The
machine only had Twinkies again�
I
have the damn Twinkies�
That
plane seems close to Tower One at WTC.
They
always seem close at that
height,
but it�s headed straight�
Months
go by. I tell my shrink
I
wish New York were a metropolis,
where
looking �up in the sky� a citizen
would
sigh relieved as once again
he
who changes the course of mighty rivers
changes
the course of commercial jets.
Not
in New York, not again
or
even for the second time
as
Tower Two�s demise had cemented
my
existential debut.
I
hear my clients screaming,
�Sell!
Sell!� as others prompt
a
buying curve to keep American
strong.
(Chuck
S.)
I
saw the man sitting in the row
ahead
of me. He looked normal,
not
like a typical �terrorist� and he
acted
normal. Nothing was out of
the
ordinary. Just a plane ride
back
home to New York. I came
to
see my brother. He was getting
married. I was supposed to be
at
the rehearsal dinner. But that
never
happened. The last thing I
remember
is everyone screaming
and
the man ahead of me taking
control
over the plane and
leading
us toward the Twin
Towers.
The hit, the fire,
and
then it went black.
(Rebecca
F.)
I
was just finishing typing up the report for my presentation tomorrow.
I
was just about to hit enter and print it,
when
I heard this horrible sound, and out my window
on
the 8th floor of Tower Two, I see it�
The
other Tower of the World Trade Center was hit,
and
there was only chaos surrounding it.
Everything
went quiet and I froze, just
staring
blankly out the window.
Within
a blink of an eye, time began to pick up speed.
I
didn�t bother to finish printing,
I
just grabbed my cell phone and wallet along
with
the picture of my family and made way for the stairs.
I
immediately pressed speed dial #2 to call my wife.
It
rang 3 times before she answered,
and
I was on the 6th floor.
I
was numb to the noise out side, and could only hear her voice.
I
said, �I love you, don�t worry, I�m on my way out.�
Down
to the 5th floor.
I
said, �I love you� again. I don�t
remember how many times.
I
saw the plaque with the #3 on it; I was
almost
there� then the cell phone went dead.
(Tasia
T.)
My
English teacher turned on the television
that
morning.
I
didn�t know
what
was happening.
The
news reports kept
repeating
the same scene
over
and over
again.
A
plane crashes.
Smoke.
People
crying.
Horror
in their faces.
Chaos.
My
teacher was devastated.
No
words.
My
classmates in
shock.
Why
would anyone do that?
they
asked.
No
answer.
We
kept looking at the screen,
trying
to find answers
to
the day
that
changed
Americans.
They
had stabbed the heart
of
the country.
But
failed
to
break us.
(Grissel
E.)
I
was walking along the sidewalk
walking
towards those Twin Towers
glancing
at my cell phone every
couple
seconds
waiting
waiting
for Lucy�s name to appear on
its
small screen
waiting
for her call
to
tell me she was on her break
to
meet me for lunch
in
front of those Twin Towers where she worked.
Over
the honking and people talking
Over
the rough idling engines of cars
I
heard a loud roar above me
something
I did not recognize.
Then
I saw the plane
so
close and massive
collide
with one of those Twin Towers
I
stopped, not believing what I was
watching
Everyone
stopped; seconds passed in silence
Then
screams pierced my eardrum
I
could not move
No
one cold
The
building began falling
Most
people ran
But
I couldn�t
Where
was Lucy?
I
watched as a massive wave
of
brown and gray
roared
towards me
engulfing
everything.
Lucy�?
(Kris
M.)
My
girlfriend always told me I was a robot
At
my old job, I had been voted
the
guy that should be working
if
we ever got robbed
because
I wouldn�t react.
I�d
hand over the cash
and
go about my day.
I�d
never been in a position
where
reaction was so important
and
yet there I was
sitting
in my chair
in
a tin box in the sky
finally
living proof of the chaos theory
Yet
I�d always hoped the unforeseeable
held
beauty
and
this felt so ugly
My
mind was drowned in reaction
and
my body in a cold sweat of inaction
and
I didn�t know how others would understand
if
I couldn�t
(Mike
E.)
I
was still half asleep when I heard
about
the attacks on the World Trade Center.
It
didn�t register in my mind until
I
began watching the footage in
physics
class.
It
was 2nd period�we were all stunned.
I
vividly remember seeing the people on television
billions
times more stunned that I will ever be
crowned
by the freshly fallen ash
from
the sky.
I
could only think about how
good
it would feel to take a shower.
(Diana
N.)
What
a day. Had to change from my favorite
shirt
when
I got peanut butter on it making Claire�s lunch.
She
didn�t cry today.
She
hugged me and skipped into her class.
Smiling.
Kindergarten.
Tonight
I�ll make her favorite dinner�
hot
dogs and tater tots
with
lots of ketchup.
There�s
so much work to be done.
Not
enough hours in the day.
Boy,
that plane is flying awfully low.
It�s
going
to hit the building!
Dear
Lord!
What�s
happening? Oh my God!
Too
many sounds. Think. Claire!
I
need to go home. I need to go
home.
There�s
fires at the stairs.
How
am I going to get out?
Tonight
I
have to make Claire�s favorite.
She
didn�t cry.
(Lindsey
C.)
Oh
my God! What was that?
It
was so loud that whole
building
shook.
An
explosion.
Here?
In
the tower?
Smoke.
There�s smoke coming
through
the vents.
The
building must be on fire.
I
don�t see anything.
It�s
too far up.
I�ve
got to get to the elevator.
No,
not the elevator.
We�re
not supposed to use the elevator.
Oh
my God!
People
are screaming.
What�s
happening?
The
woman who works in the office
down
the hall got a call
on
her cell phone.
She
said a plane hit the tower.
There�s
more panic.
More
news
Why
can�t we get downstairs?
There�re
too many people up here.
Why
doesn�t someone do something?
Another
plane? Another plane?
Oh
my God!
My
eyes are burning.
The
stairwell is so crowded.
A
woman fell down
and
was trampled.
I
couldn�t help her
People
are screaming, crying.
It�s
so loud.
So
much smoke and so loud.
The
Lord is my shepherd
I
shall not want
Firemen.
I
see firemen�
They�re
coming to help us.
Another
explosion
It�s
so far to the bottom
I
can�t breathe.
My
eyes burn
Oh
my God!
My
children
What
will my children do?
Who
will tell my children?
(Denise
S.)
Somebody
was interrupting my morning routine.
I
didn�t want to answer the phone.
I
had to blow dry my hair.
I
had to put on my makeup.
I
had to look after the kids.
Who
was calling?
Why
were they calling now?
What
was so important?
�Turn
on the TV,� my step-mom said.
�Do
you know what�s happening?�
No,
obviously I didn�t.
Olivia,
stop kicking your brother.
Hand
me the remote, please�
I
have to change the channel
just
for a minute, I�ll turn it back
to
Barney, I swear.
�Oh
my God! What�s happening?� I said.
�Planes
are flying into the Twin Towers
on
purpose�It�s terrorists,� Judy explained.
What?
Oh
my God!
Terrorists?!? Fuck
�Mom,
what�s wrong?�
�What
are terrorists?�
�Mommy,
why are you crying?�
�Mommy�
�Mommy�
�Stop.�
(Beth
K.)
(using
the voice of Emily from the grave in Thorton Wilder�s Our Town)
I
was in the graveyard, already
looking
down at the town
smelling
the coffee and bacon from breakfast
and
hearing Mama�s sad humming.
I
guess she misses me.
And
then I heard it.
a
big sound�like a crash, a bolt of
lightning
and the entire sky falling in.
It
was nearby and so far away
far,
past Mama and her bacon
and
Papa and his newspaper
past
the borders of New Hampshire
but
not past life
not
past the grey stillness of this
eternity
existence, neither
I
saw a rip in the sky,
and
felt, for a moment, the
memory
of pain
and
from that memory, a rip in my heart
when
I remembered life
and
the feel of Papa�s stubbly
face
when I hugged him in the evening
I
remembered the ache of love
and
this ache became a pain so
great
and
I could see that even my
now
dull memories of our
simple
life were dying.
that
hugging Papa, picking
berries,
hoping, working, and
feeling
clean and safe and
right
were somehow being
taken
from us.
The
future had come to
Grover�s
Corner, New Hampshire,
USA,
the world, the milky way
in
the flash of a thousand
cries
falling from the sky,
But
we are no longer innocent�and
no
longer dead.
(Lisa
K.)