Hearts Recollect 9/11

On September 11th the world will stop to remember one of the saddest days in history. As a former member of the Rockville Centre community on Long  Island, I shall never forget the horror of devastation that rocked our small village. Forty-five members perished in the event on an ordinary day. A child lost her mother during the attack and a group of high school seniors grieved this loss during a candlelight ceremony. The town wept as did the state and nation for their losses during the horrific event. 

Last night while watching the ABC News Special 20/20 show, Women of 9/11:Twenty Years Later, with Robyn Roberts, I felt all over again the sting of sorrow, the disbelief of the happening, and the sadness that still exists. I turned to my blog posts regarding 9/11 and created a blackout poem prompted by this haunting photo.

 Women of 9/11:Twenty Years Later, ABC

So Many Stories, So Many Hearts Broken: A 9/11 Recollection

Nation remembers:

People perished,

New York City suffered.

Incredible sadness

Blasted air.

Tears touched the community.

Heavy hearts mourned

In solidarity.

Anguish witnessed attack.

Disbelief, despair

Rose from ashes.

Charcoaled faces,

Chaos, grief grew

In wake of disaster. 

9/11, harsh reality,

a retold journey.

©CVarsalona, 2021

Yesterday, the nation paused to remember a horrific event in its history. On September 11, 2001, a never-to-be-forgotten date, 3000 people perished in the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. Of that number, Rockville Centre, a small suburb of New York City, suffered considerable losses. 48 of my townspeople people died as a result of the "largest attack on US soil" on that fateful day.  

I shall never forget theincredincredible feeling of sadness mixed with panic as colleagues and I heard the news the morning of September 11, 2001. As the media blasted the air with news, it was very difficult to continue the day of elementary school as usual. Colleagues tried to connect with loved ones who went to work in New York City; worrisome looks multiplied; phone calls were interrupted; tears shed. When I arrived home, news of the attacks were haunting the neighborhoods of Rockville Centre.  A small group of concerned South Side high school students, my daughter being one of them, were touched by the events of the day that deeply affected one of their classmates.  The concerned peers formed a bond and brought the school community together in support of their friend whose mother was killed in the World Trade Building terrorist attack while her father was out of the country on business. 

That night, students, heavy in heart, led a vigil march through the neighborhoods. The sky, lit up by hundreds of candles held in the hands of mourners and supporters, marched in solidarity, bringing a town together during a time of deep anguish. Many people were not among the group, my husband being one of them. Although safe, he was forced to stay in New Jersey that night. Entrance back to Long Island was closed. After hours of no contact, he did bring us news of what he witnessed. As traffic slowed on  road from NYC to New Jersey, he, along with many motorists, saw the second plane attack the World Trade Center. During a night of disbelief and despair his story as well as many others rose from the ashes Wof a grim fate. There was the friend who led the NYC Bomb Squad searches; the first responder who traveled from Suffolk County to NYC to support the ravagedorld Trade Center; other friends who walked across the Brooklyn Bridge to come home from the havoc that ensued on Wall Street. There was the brave fireman from our next town who lost his life at the site and dozens of Rockville Centre neighbors who never came home from work that night. There were the charcoaled faces, broken dreams, and voices that could not speak of the horrors witnessed. But in all the chaos and grief, the town bonded and grew strength from each other. Ceremonies, monuments, memorial parks all created during the weeks that followed allowed a town to heal in the wake of disaster. 

The remembrance of 9/11 is a heavy one that never leaves one's heart. In our neighborhood, and across Long Island to New York City children were forced to deal with a harsh reality that life is fragile and dreams can be broken. Paralleling that message was the belief that hope can exist in a town despite devastating losses. Rockville Centre Mayor Francis Murray, summarized this feeling during his memorial speech on Sunday, September 8, 2013. "No community suffered more than Rockville Centre...but we did not just survive this tragedy, we prevailed." 

Stories have been told, repeated, and retold over the past twelve years. Hearts have been mended, but Rockville Centre community members never forgot the losses. September 11, 2001 marked the day for a town to be brought to its knees. Subsequent years have marked the evolution of 9/11 stories into messages of courage, survival and new learnings about life's fragile journey.

WE REMEMBER

as the bell tolls,
names are read,

flags unbound, waving proudly,

and heartbreaking headlines shared.

There's Still a Sadness in Hearts on 9/11.

So Many Stories, So Many Hearts Broken!

Remembering 911 Fallen Heroes,

numbered in the sky,

is our town's tradition.

Village Green is ready.

We shall remember

and wait for a 
Rainbow of Possibilities.

©CVarsalona, 2019, Rockville Centre, NY

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It's time to join the Poetry Friday Roundup at The Miss Rumphius Effect. Tricia Stohr-Hunt, our host this week, offers a Barbara Crooker poem on grief.

We Remember 9/11

I woke late this morning, rushing to yoga. As I traveled down the street in front of the 9/11 village memorial, I remembered a night eighteen years ago. Townspeople, young and old, gathered together, weeping, hugging each other, remembering forty plus loved ones who perished in the 9/11 tragedy in New York City. We celebrated their lives to honor their memories. Since then there has been an annual ceremony each year in the Village Green. 

I, too, honor the memory of Rockville Centre fallen heroes comprised of Wall Street business people, firefighters and police. The short found poem below is a revised compilation of blog titles I have written over the years. Each blog post identified in red is a painful memory and a tribute to those who perished.

WE REMEMBER

as the bell tolls,
names are read,

flags unbound, waving proudly,

and heartbreaking headlines shared.

There's Still a Sadness in Hearts on 9/11.

So Many Stories, So Many Hearts Broken!

Remembering 911 Fallen Heroes,

numbered in the sky,

is our town's tradition.

Village Green is ready.

We shall remember

and wait for a 
Rainbow of Possibilities.

©CVarsalona, 2019, Rockville Centre, NY

It's time to listen to "Fallen Heroes" written by Nelson Blanchard and Carmella Inchierchiera, their "tribute song and video dedicated to the Fallen Heroes of 9-11 who paid the ultimate price and the victims they struggled to save."

#911Anniversary

#NeverForget

Share Acts of Kindness on September 11th.

Remembering Fallen Heroes

We still remember
as the bell tolls
and names are read.

There's still a sadness in hearts on 9/11.

So Many Stories, So Many Hearts Broken!

Remembering 911's fallen heroes,

numbered in the sky and

honored at the village green.
We still remember.
©CVarsalona, 2018, Rockville Centre, NY

I woke this morning to the broadcasting of the Ground Zero ceremony from New York City. As the ceremonial bell rang, the reading of the fallen heroes' names stopped. A stillness surrounded the structure. Tears were shed. The pause was deafening for so many remembered the day that many lives were lost, fathers, mothers, siblings, relatives, and friends. My NYC suburban village was hit hard. Some who perished on 9/11 worked on Wall Street. Others were fire fighters and police. All become our village's heroes.

The short poem above is a compilation of blog titles I have written over the years. Each one a painful memory. Each one a tribute to those who perished, so I ask, "What is needed in this world?" 

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Sharing Acts of Kindness on September 11th!

All of the words in red are blog posts, either at Beyond LiteracyLink or Wonderopolis' Wonder Ground, that I have written on the topic and gathered here to create a poem.

Besides being Patriot Day, it is the Slice of Life Tuesday at Two Writing Teachers. I offer this solemn tribute to those who are remembering 9/11 and to those who are committed to sharing acts of kindness.

We Still Remember

Sixteen years have gone by but there is still a sadness as the the fallen heroes of 911 are remembered around the world today. It is September 11th, Patriot Day. To honor the stories of 9/11 that started as an ordinary day in, Twitter created hashtags, #PatriotsDay and #Ground Zero. Needless to say, they have been trending as comments have poured in from around the states.

The memory of that tragic day is seared in my mind and the minds of the residents of my community, Rockville Centre on Long Island, who either knew one of the 48 who perished or who witnessed the horrific event in New York City. Others who were in town on 9/11 watched, in disbelief, the television as the news replayed the video of the falling towers. The town grieved then and continues each year to honor the memories of lives. We Still Remember!

Returning to Ground Zero over the years has brought tears to many an eye, including mine. The new Freedom Tower stands tall as a symbol of resiliency and hope in the American spirit. We still remember lives lost but many, like I, wish for a brighter future where hatred is overcome with kindness.

Previous posts:

Sharing Acts of Kindness on September 11th (at Wonderopolis' Wonder Ground)

Remembering 911 

Still a Sadness in Hearts on 9/11

So Many Stories, So Many Hearts Broken

In my heart, I have kept the memory of 9/11 alive. Today, I watched another horror-the winds and waters of Hurricane Irma sweeping through Floridian towns and up the eastern seaboard. I wished for the safety of those in the area, including family and friends a brighter day tomorrow, knowing that  

Forever she stands 

America, our land! 

I write at the end of a long day trying to make sense of the fragility of life and the uncertainty of tomorrow. It is soon to be Slice of Life Tuesday, a reflective time at Two Writing Teachers. 

Remembering 911

Fifteen years have gone by but there is still a sadness as the the fallen heroes of 911 are remembered around the world on September 11th. The memory of the day is seared in the minds of the residents of my community, Rockville Centre, who either personally witnessed the disaster, had family and friends who were involved, or were horrified by the attack. 

Last night, at St. Agnes Cathedral in the village of Rockville Centre, N.Y., the names of the villagers who lost their lives in the horrific tragedy were read. Parishioners were asked to pass by the plaque mounted in the church to honor the memory of those who perished and pray for world peace. Today, as I watch the Day of Remembrance ceremony, I am deeply touched by the speeches of family members memorializing their loved ones who were victims of the tragedy. Young teens and adults who lost their parents and family members on September 11, 2001 are speaking with passion and through tears. One young man provided a charge for all watching, "Be the connection the world needs. Be the unity."

The following hashtags on Twitter honoring September 11th are trending: #WhereWereHere, #Remembering911, #NeverForget, #Pentagon, and #Flight93. I add this digital that I captured from the ceremony so we can all remember that we need to share the change that is needed in this world to bring harmony, serenity, and peaceful existence to all. 

Today, you might wish to share a random act of kindness as a gesture of good will and human spirit. For younger children, reference to the official Random Act of Kindness Day can be found at Wonderopolis' Wonder of the Day #137.

Rainbow of Possibilities

Yesterday, the eve of September 11, a remarkable sight was seen by Ben Sturner, CEO of Leverage Agency, a sports marketing company, from his terrace in Long Island City. A gorgeous, multicolored rainbow stretched across the sky over the World Trade Center where Project Zero once stood. Not only did Ben capture the sight but shared it on social media. Because of the timing of the "magical rainbow" over the New York skyline in lower Manhattan, Ben received flood of emails from the media, including ABC, CBS, CNN, Huff Post UK, News 12 NJ, USA Today, and WLLN. 

Subsequently, I saw Ben Sturner's photo on Twitter and was mesmerized by the beauty of the colorful rainbow. As I watched the moments of silence and the reading of the names of the 9/11 victims on television, I penned a short poem, superimposed it on Ben's photo, and sent it out to Ben via Twitter. 

With a collegial spirit, Ben tweeted out his approval. 

I agree with Ben that the symbolism of the magical rainbow on a day filled with the sadness of a time remembered has brought hope to a city of resilient spirits. Although the memories of 9/11 remain seared in the minds of New Yorkers, the new Freedom Tower stands tall as a beacon of hope. The magical rainbow behind provides a sparking, surrealistic backdrop that stretches across the sky and into the hearts of all those around the world. 

The tragedy of 9/11 cannot be eradicated but the resiliency of those who witnessed the horrific event in New York City is a testament that freedom does exist and will not be erased from the American spirit. 

For educators like me, freedom flows from open waters that connect nations. Freedom lies in the indomitable American dream, in education that opens minds and loosens the ties of cultural differences. It is strengthened by hope for new tomorrows built on faith and truth. Freedom is not bound. It is limitless. It must find a way to fill the air across the globe and be present as a force of strength.

For the youth of today to become productive citizens of tomorrow they need to understand the differences that stand as roadblocks, capture the magical rainbow of hope, and let it guide their journey as learners with understanding hearts and minds open to possibilities. 

Previous posts on 9/11 can be accessed here and here.

We Remember!