9/11

My thoughts, reflections, and ramblings on the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks

I do not remember the 11th of September, 2001. I was two years old. Later, when we discussed that day, I recalled a faded memory of sitting on the gray carpet of my living room, watching cartoons, when my mother changed the channel to the news. She never watched the news in front of me. I remember watching her sinking onto the coffee table and I remember that she was crying over the phone to my grandmother. This was not an unusual occurrence, because my mother frequently spoke to hers and they cried together about novels they had read and things they had seen. This felt different, however. I remember that they were silent as my mother held the phone to her ear and she quietly told me to go and play in my room without looking away from the television screen. That is the only memory I have of that day, the day that so many people wish they could forget.

Sometimes, I wish that I remembered more, so that I could empathize with those who lived through it. However, when it comes down to it, I realize that I am lucky not to have experienced the terror and devastation that quite literally shook New York City that day. I learned about it in school, and my classmates shared stories told to them by their families of that day. On the anniversary of the attacks, my mother watched documentaries on the news and cried. My little sister had not yet been born when it happened, so she had no recollection or emotional attachment to the event whatsoever.

On May 2, 2011, I heard news that Osama Bin Laden, the leader of Al-Qaeda and the facilitator of 9/11, had been caught and killed in Pakistan. This announcement was met with a mixture of relief, triumph, and suspicion. I was told that the United States had been trying to find him to avenge the loss and heartbreak that he had caused in New York, but I felt detached and indifferent, as I did not remember what he had done.

In November 2015, I was pursuing my interest in journalism and human rights, so I had adjusted my cell phone notifications so that I would know the second there was breaking news. My phone buzzed while I was watching a movie, and I saw that Paris, France had been attacked. I was terrified and confused, and I continue to be every time there is a tragedy, regardless of where it occurs. I am humbled and privileged to have not been old enough to understand in New York 15 years ago, but I still think of it frequently and wish there was more I could do.

I do not remember the 11th of September, 2001, when I was two years old, but I remember my mother crying, the quiet shock and devastation in the weeks that followed, the solemn lessons in school, and the impact that it had on so many of our continent’s people. I can only be thankful I don’t remember more.

Author's Note

photo credit: https://www.google.ca/search?q=twin+towers+before+911&espv=2&rlz=1CAASUE_enCA702CA702&tbm=isch&imgil=sYvkz3tLAuIt7M%253A%253B5pbMD7UtLCGylM%253Bhttp%25253A%25252F%25252Fwww.america911.com%25252F911-pictures.html&source=iu&pf=m&fir=sYvkz3tLAuIt7M%253A%252C5pbMD7UtLCGylM%252C_&usg=__dVID5tUgLx3rlheZk97SyJmDIok%3D&biw=1366&bih=655&ved=0ahUKEwj12fXojorPAhWDXB4KHbk6AWUQyjcIQg&ei=5MXWV_XXLIO5ebn1hKgG#imgrc=sYvkz3tLAuIt7M%3A

Reviews

[Coyote Poetry]

Was a sad day. I was at work and I couldn't believe this was happening. This day changed our world for the worst. We need to become was we were. Fearless, carefree and not afraid of each other. 9-11 create permanent hate we must lose. A powerful and worthwhile read.
Coyote

[Molly Anna]

I, too, was very young when the devastating news swept across America. My mother, however, bought one of the magazines published that same week. The pictures, stories, and horror is graphic and vivid...
Thank you for sharing your thoughts, Sarah.