9/11 Readers� Theatre
Spring 2013
Forgot to set my
alarm and now I�m late for work
trust me to be
so damn forgetful can�t get anything
right these
days. David�s going to hit the fan when
he finds out I�m
late again, twice in one week. I
shove a banana
down my throat, almost forget to chew,
fling my jacket
on and fly out the door.
My tongue runs
over the slimy film that coats
my unbrushed
teeth. I run down four flights of
stairs and head
for the subway. I squeeze
between people
who amble along, almost
purposefully
slow just to get on my nerves.
I clench my
teeth, sealing the impatient slurs
that long to
escape from my mouth.
Hastily, I
clamber down the stairs and
feed my ticket
to the machine but it
rejects the
ticket. A long drawn out
sigh whistles out
my lips, I do not have time
for this. I race over to the machine, shove
my dollar bills
in and yank my ticket out,
steal on through
to the platform where I can
hear my train
arriving, screeching impatiently.
The lady in
front of me is blocking my way and I
try to get
around her, but she is extremely large.
I watch
helplessly as my train rolls away, forcing
me to catch the
next one in ten minutes. I fidget,
annoyed,
checking my watch in the hopes that time
might magic
itself back. When I finally make it
off the train
and out onto the
street, I hear a
deep bellowing thunder
like the sky
opening up. Overhead I watch a
large dark
shadow move across the sky toward
that building I
had entered every morning, Mon.-Fri.
for work for the
last two years. It showed no sign
of
stopping. Eleisha
listened to the
radio today instead of that
old creedence
clearwater revival tape
kids in the
backseat singing love potion #9
it�s charming
how they sing so
off-key
wait
what
I have to pull
over to the side of the road
the air caught
in my throat
Dear Lord, hear
my prayer
I tell the kids
to be quiet
they want to
know why I pulled over: why this why that
Krista be quiet
I�m trying to listen
she doesn�t want
to listen
I sigh and try
to explain
but they look at
me –
Oblivious Krista
(Flight
Attendant – Betty Ong)
This is what my
mother feared. What
she warned me
about. Maybe not exactly.
Surely she never
imagined men taking
over the plane
and telling us our new
destination was
one of the New York towers. I�ve
worked for this
airline 6 years, met Amy
when I started.
there she is.
Crying
over the Senior
pilot�s body, little more than a
crumpled
heap. My God, did they just let
them
on with
those? They�re barely old enough to
have
a drink, but
there they are pointing into the
crowd warning
them of what is to come.
Their patchy
beards now glistening with
sweat, not
unlike that of the passengers.
We�re flying low
now. I can hear the warnings
from the pit.
Everyone can hear it.
I know they hear
it too. Irma
�I Am Still
Here, But Why Aren�t They?�
It was 5:46 AM
for me,
But it was 8:46
AM for you.
I lived in San
Jose, CA,
But you lived in
New York City, NY.
I was across the
country from it,
But they were
across the street from it.
I was dreaming
in my sleep,
But they were
wide-awake in a nightmare.
I was in my warm
bed,
But they were in
the cold morning.
I heard about
people dying,
But they saw
people dying.
I heard about
the clouds of dust,
But they were in
the clouds of dust.
I had my hand
over my mouth from astonishment,
But they had
their hand over their mouth to block the inhalation of dust.
I was thinking
of the 4th grade in the morning,
But they were
thinking of how to escape the 80th floor.
I was scared,
But they were
terrified.
I was speechless
for words,
But they were
screaming for help.
I will always
know why it happened,
But they will
never know why.
I was thinking
of my mother on a plane back from her honeymoon from Hawaii,
But they were
thinking of their loved ones on a plane in a tower.
I had my mother
come with me that day to school to feel safe,
But they will
never feel their mothers� embrace again.
I will be able
to grow old with my lover,
But they won�t.
I saw the planes
crash into the towers on TV,
But they saw the
planes crash into the towers with their own eyes.
I saw the towers
fall on the TV,
But they saw the
towers fall from the inside.
I saw leaves
falling from the trees that day,
But they saw
bodies dropping like stones.
I know
firefighters and police officers went in,
But some never
came out.
I was hoping
they would be found,
And they were
hoping to be found, too.
I am still here,
But why aren�t
they?
Ally
Why are people
screaming? oh my gosh –
people
are yelling,
crying! What is going on??
I look out my
apartment window and see
a gray monster
of smoke – Fire, Ash, Smoke, and
Concrete tower
over New York. �My God –
Help us!� I
scream under my breath.
The sirens sound
– the streets of New York
are full of
debris – parents and children, families,
adolescents, men
and women in business suits –
Helpless! Nothing separates us now � we scream
for mercy, we
scream for help�those of us
still alive and
those of us not � we scream.
September 11,
2001. Susie
The sirens were
blaring.
People were
screaming, while others were crying.
I grabbed on to
Ma�s hand as hard as I could.
What was going
on?
I watched as the
police pushed people behind a caution tape.
Mama wouldn�t
tell me what was going on.
She just held my
hands as she looked up with tears in her eyes.
I tugged on her
hand hoping to get her attention but she
couldn�t look
away.
Why wasn�t Mama
paying attention to me?
I looked up to
see the building I knew so well crashing down.
The smoke and
debris were piled in the front.
No one could go
past.
Mama dropped to
her knees beside me still not letting go.
What was wrong I
asked.
I didn�t know if
she heard me.
I looked at her
once again.
Where was Daddy? Angela
I
came out of my room all dressed up and ready to go.
Typical day. I�m
tired. I hate mornings. My teeth
are slippery and
minty from brushing my teeth and breakfast is
probably already
in my intestines, I don�t know.
My
mom is sitting in front of the TV and not down in
the car waiting
for me like usual. I notice she�s
crying and praying
softly to
herself, and I can�t figure out why until I focus
on the TV. A building is smoking. An important
one. I can�t grasp
the significance
of it. It�s just a building. Hopefully the people
are okay.
We
all kneel in a circle and pray and the TV in the background
describes the
chaos of the situation. I�m safe on
the other
side of the
world. Well, if I were there I�d
just run away.
Simple
solution. Everyone goes home happy,
right?
And
then the other is hit, too.
Somebody did this on
purpose? But this is America, we�re invincible
and everyone loves us.
I don�t get
it. How would something like this
even begin to formulate?
I�m
crying because Mommy�s crying. So
is my sister. So is
my brother.
We�re praying, but the smoke isn�t stopping.
And
now the buildings are falling. And
there are people jumping
from the
windows. And though I can�t hear
them, I know they
won�t be
okay. And I don�t get it. Ty
just woke up
with the idea
that I should
probably hurry
up and brush my
teeth when
my mum�s voice
could be heard
waking my daddy
something about
some building
being bombed and
falling down
who cares
mean people bomb
other people
all the damn
time
especially on
the news so why
can�t we put the
cartoons back on?
at school, half
of my classmates are
missing, and all
of my teachers
have the news on
the radio and
Mr. Madson says
that we will forever remember
this date and
this
day
he has lost it
if he thinks that a thing
even
this sad thing
will stick in my
mind more than
all of the other
sad
things in the world. Rhiannon
(coffee shop
owner)
the daily
routine: annoying alarm, the smell
of my own fresh
brewed coffee, dog barking
next door not
allowing that snooze to take effect.
morning bathroom
run on the cold tiles
of the lonely
house.
I walk to work
as usual, it�s only on
the next street.
The usuals walk
in and the cup of joe
ready in my hand
I�d say �what�ll it
be?� already
knowing the answer I hand
them the cups
and see their faces
brighten up.
customer�
order�
money�
brew�
extra shot? wish
I had one�
fake smile on my
face �
big crash
customer and I
look up and out the
window
people
screaming,
running
my whole shop is
shaking.
I walk
outside�dangerous?
there is debris,
smoke, and boulders of
concrete falling
from the sky
struck and
awestruck.
What do I do? Thomas
7th
grade student
I
wake up thinking that it�s any other day, but
it�s not. Something is wrong. I hear my parents
arguing, that�s
not something that happens often.
I come in and
ask Mom and Dad what�s
the matter and I
see tears coming from
their eyes. My mom rushes to hug me
and starts
babbling nonsense about a
plane hijacking
and people dying and
how I shouldn�t
go to school today.
But Dad says I
should go, people would be
understanding,
he says, the world is not like it was half a century ago, he says.
I�m in shock,
when they
explain to me what happened, but
I have to go to
school.
At
school, all the kids look at me
weird. Friends walk away
from me,
wouldn�t talk to me. In class
a few minutes
before the lecture,
teacher running
late, everyone avoids me.
I can�t take it,
but then someone, I don�t
know who, but
only hear, yells out
�Why�d you do
that? Get the Hell
out. Traitors�
In tears I run
out of the classroom, the teacher
just out in the
hall, asking me what�s the matter.
And soon I�m on
the floor crying out. Asking why.
I have suffered
just as much as
they have. Those terrorists did not only attack
my country, did
not only hijack the
plane, they had
also hijacked my religion today.
Alexander
It was like
every other day:
Woke up, got
ready and Mom took my brother and me to school
But when I
stepped out only the playground
Silence.
Nobody was
playing or laughing or screaming
Just sitting
quietly, huddled in groups.
I walked over to
my friends sitting in front of the classroom door.
�Happy Birthday
Brennan!� I said
He looked up
from the ground, eyes tempted by tears.
�It�s a sad
birthday, a no good birthday at all�
They told me
what happened. In class we watched
the
news. The buildings crumbling down into a
cloud of dust.
It became that
day when nobody said anything.
Lea
Eleven years
old.
I was eleven
years old when the planes hit
the towers in
New York.
When I woke up
to get ready for school
Mom was watching
the news.
Crying.
When I asked her
what happened she said
�a plane crashed
into the World Trade Center�
�Oh.� I said.
I watched the
news with my crying mother.
We watched the
plane hit the building over and over again
When I got to
school some kids were
crying
some making
jokes.
Some didn�t know
about the plane.
I didn�t know
which group I belonged in.
My teacher told
us about the news
in case we
didn�t know.
We were eleven
years old.
She said she
didn�t care what the
school said
and kept the TV
on.
No one paid
attention in class that day.
Together, as a
class,
as a whole
We watched the 2nd
plane hit the
building.
And we all
cried.
Together.
As a whole. Marissa
a beautiful
September day in western North Carolina
where I was
teaching at Western Carolina University
autumn leaves
already glorifying the hills
I was cramming
for class – my freshman comp class
Sandra came to
my office – did I hear that
a plane had just
crashed into the World Trade
Center in New
York?
I�m embarrassed
as I remember now – I didn�t
know what the
WTC was.
I returned to my
prep for class.
Gayle appeared
in the doorway, another story
about planes
flying into the Trade Center.
I left for
class, heading to the computer classroom.
The previous
instructor had left the instructor station
computer on
CNN live
transfixed my students and me
We watched as
smoke billowed, the towers crumbled,
people jumped to
their deaths
Smoke, silence,
shock, sadness.
One of my
students left in tears – her father
worked at the
Pentagon. Dr.
Warner
Thinking
back now: I woke up and
saw my mother
crying. I asked, �Ama, porque
lloras?� My mother replied, �Porque los hijos de
la
Chingada
chocaron las avirones en Nueva York.�
I ran
to the TV (I was
only in 6th grade then).
I left for school
wondering if
anyone knew what happened in New York.
Our principal
got on the loud speaker and talked
about the
incident and how we should pray for
those who lost
their lives.
I
asked myself what would I do if I was on one
of those
planes? Would I fight back or just
sit
waiting to see
what happens? Till this day I don�t
know what
I would do. But then again the chance of surviving
a hijack are
slim to none. Therefore I would
do anything in
my power to do something heroic.
Especially if my
family or friends were in the plane
with me. Jose
I
glare at the screaming alarm clock and
try to convince
myself to get out of bed. I
know that if
there�s any chance I�m going to
make my 10 a.m.
statistics class, I have to get
up. But the
sheets are warm and my body is
still heavy with
a deep, lingering sleep, so I
switch the radio
from alarm to FM hoping
music will get
me moving.
�Again,
if you�re just tuning in, a
plane has
crashed into the North Tower of
the World Trade
center!� the DJ�s voice is
frantic and
disbelieving, and it catches my attention.
I
don�t know what the World Trade
Center is, but I
figure my parents will be
interested to
hear about it before they leave
for work, so I
slip out of bed and pad barefoot
into the kitchen
and living room.
�Hey
Mom, what�s the World Trade Center
and where is it
located?� I ask, still tired.
She
looks at me with a mix of
confusion and
anger, she�s not a morning person
either.
�It�s
in New York. Why?� she snaps.
I
pick up the remote for the TV and
shrug.
��Cuz
apparently a plane crashed into it.
They just
mentioned it on the radio.�
My
mother and father freeze, and stare at
me like I�ve
just told them I�m an alien
queen named
Bertha who loves peanuts.
I
finally have the TV channel set
to CNN
�There, see.� I point to the screen
The
next hour passes like molasses,
my parents call
into work to say they�ll be
late and I miss
class. I�m not entirely sure what�s
just happened in
the world, but I know that
mine will never
be the same. All I can
think about is
my big brother and how he�s
still in basic
training. Laura
A normal
morning, I thought.
Gotta� get ready
to head out to school.
My mom�s voice,
loudly telling me I
needed to
shower, or we would all be late.
I walked into
the kitchen, and almost
fell into my
mom�s gaping mouth,
stunned into
immobility.
I followed the
trail her eyes made
and my mouth
fell open too.
The scene being
shown was unknown.
The words that
explained were undecipherable.
Bomb, airplanes,
New York, World Trade Center?
As I tried to
eat my cereal, in my
comfortable,
quiet kitchen, I heard them
talking
Mom says:
I know, what are
the odds.
Today, of all
days. Another September 11th.
Dad says:
A new country, a
new life, same
atrocities, and
on this anniversary.
He shook his
head, and tried to
shake off the
images that were vying for
a turn at his
attention.
I was too young
to know, but
this marked a
deadly anniversary in
their lives.
Now this day
would mark an anniversary
in mine.
One day, two
events, immeasurable pain.
Camila
I
hopped in the news van that morning
with a numb
feeling in my chest. How many
people were in
that building when
the plane
hit? We took an elevator to the
top of a
building on the other side of the
city and stood
waiting, watching, with the
other camera
crews. I tried to hold my
hands steady
when it came time to film, but
they shook. The journalist in front of my camera
read the facts
we knew on live TV.
Time
of collision
Approximate
numbers
No
names. Did I know anyone who
worked
there? Were they at work this
early?
The whoosh of
another plane interrupted my
thoughts. It couldn�t be another plane.
The
news crews around me stood frozen,
our minds
reaching out, willing the plane to
disappear.
It
disappeared into the side of the other
tower, doubling
the smoke in the air.
Doubling
the numbness and the pain and the shaking.
�Oh
my God,� one journalist said.
�It
appears that another plane has hit the
other
tower� another one reported mechanically
into
her camera.
The planes were
mechanical, but the people
were not. Franchesca
Poem # 1
Too early.
Whose idea was
this, anyway?
At least we�re
only watching
a video.
Something for
American
businessmen
who do business
in other
countries.
CAS 140
Communications
and Culture
The professor
turns on
the TV
static.
find the right
channel.
put in the tape.
What
was that
on
the TV
before
the video started?
buildings?
smoke?
World
Trade Center?
across
the bottom of the screen?
Fleeting images
No logical
connections
So the video
continues
and we all learn
how to negotiate
with businessmen
from the Middle
East
Poem #2
How do I
respond?
I�ve never been
to
New York
at least not
when I could
remember
the closest was
perhaps
Dick Clark�s
New Years Eve
I don�t know
people there
at least not in
the city
I know I should
feel bad
So why don�t I
care? Jeremy
I couldn�t write
because
I don�t have a
story.
I don�t remember
anything
but the towers
burning.
And animosity.
At school I
pledged allegiance
to a flag half
mast
and a country I
never
betrayed
a country that
had
betrayed me.
Who cares if the
enemy
cries? Nahida