Sunday, September 11, 2011

Sundays with Steve - We remember

I Remember September 2001

After I attended some business meetings Friday morning at the ornate and lovely Library of Congress, Mrs. Steve and I spent a pleasant weekend in Washington, D.C We’d both done the obvious tourist things on many visits over the years, but we had planned this weekend to be a bit different.

We spent hours exploring the Old Executive Office building, next door to the White House, then more hours thoroughly exploring the grounds around Mount Vernon and neighboring Alexandra. We poked into the national Arboretum, and watched Pres. Bush drive by in a motorcade (but we didn’t wave, too touristy). Mrs. Steve consented to go to a fancy seafood restaurant, even though she generally dislikes seafood. It was a very nice couple of days, relaxed, interesting, and enjoyable. Sunday we caught the afternoon America West flight leaving National Airport, and got lucky enough to be bumped up to first class for the uneventful flight to Phoenix.

We settled back into our routines on Monday, until the world changed forever the follwing morning: We both came in from our morning walk along the canal to find our distraught son Greg yelling from the front door, ‘Come quick, look at the TV, an airplane flew into the World Trade Center!’

And my wife, Mrs. Steve, remembers 9-11 in these words:



Where were you when the world stood still?
In that moment the world became changed
With an imprint of terror
Forged forever in fire
When destruction fell down like fall rain?

Were you drinking your coffee?
Were you driving to work?
Were you holding your babe to your heart?
Were you humming a song?
Were you righting a wrong?
Were you ironing your favorite shirt?

Where were you when the world broke in
disrupting your everyday plans
and disturbing the notion
that safety and peace
were the inalienable rights of all man…

Were you calling your Mother?
Were you taking a bath?
Were you going through the motions of your day?
Were you baking a cake?
Were you planning a break up
and trying to find the right words to say?

Where were you when the message came
That nothing in life is for sure?
And all we get is each moment with no guarantees
of tomorrow, next week or next year…

Are you speaking a kind word?
Are you doing your part
to comfort and never cause pain?
Remember those moments
With your head and your heart
So the terror did not happen in vain…

Remember the message, remember the date
Remember nothing in life is for sure
for all we get is each moment with no guarantees
of tomorrow, next week or next year…


(c) 2010 Stephen J. Matlock
This publication is the exclusive property of Stephen J. Matlock and is protected
under the US Copyright Act of 1976 and all other applicable international, federal, state and local laws. The contents of this post/story may not be reproduced as a whole or in part, by any means whatsoever, without consent of the author, Stephen J. Matlock. All rights reserved.

17 comments:

Donnie said...

That was so moving on this day of national remembrance.

vivian said...

wow.. great and moving poem....
xo
viv

Rawknrobyn.blogspot.com said...

Thanks for this post, Steve and Jenny. It's very fitting and the poem inspires.

noexcuses said...

It has been such an emotional morning for me. I finally turned the sound off the TV. Thank you for this moving and extraordinary piece of writing that really brings a lot together for many of us.

RoeH said...

Beautiful post. There are almost no words than can describe this day. You did it perfectly. Anything said brings tears to me.

Ms. A said...

Magnificent!

Ames said...

A day that every American remembers where they were, and what they were doing. Such a horrible act of hate. My heart breaks for those poor unfortunate souls that died in the WTC,the Pentagon, and on Flight 93 and for their famillies left with their losses. May we always honor their memory by never forgetting Sept. 11, 2001.~Ames

bj said...

Thank you for the blessing of sharing this poem today.
xo bj

Visits With Mary said...

That is such a great poem...He captured the very essence of 9/11...what started out to be a common day, turned to terror, forever burned in our hearts amd memories.

To the Toy Box and Beyond said...

what a beautiful poem.. how scary that you were in Washington only a few days before

H said...

I was teaching, in a classroom, cut off from the outside world; everything a normal day.

Into the staffroom after class and someone had heard.

No one could quite believe it!

myletterstoemily said...

what a beautiful, exhorting poem. i think we
can all remember where we were, but can we
remember the state of our hearts? and have
they become hard since then or more compas-
sionate?

Susan Anderson said...

So moving. Thanks to both of you.

Hugs.
=)

Judie said...

I know I left a comment here, but it has disappeared. We were in Canada, and I was desperate to get home to Tucson, but could not leave for another 10 days. We tried to rent a car, but could not cross the border. It was so scary being in a foreign country on 9/11.

Your poem is so beautiful and meaningful on so many levels. Thank you for sharing it with the blogging world. We love you, Jenny and Steve.

Pat @ Mille Fiori Favoriti said...

This was a beautiful poem, Jenny. As a New Yorker I had a heavy heart today as 9-11 seems like yesterday, and not 10 years ago. I hope we can all turn this sad anniversary into a day where we can all do good and show kindness. Good to triumph over evil! It would be a fitting way to remember those lost lives.

Pondside said...

That was a beautiful piece of writing to share - thank you.

Caroline said...

Beautiful words and the picture is a story all on its own.

aprons and old lace