A Vow to Remember

Fifteen years ago
I made a solemn vow
That I would always remember

That day is etched
Imagines seared
Permanently in my mind

The horror of planes
Filled with precious human souls
Lives extinguished in an instant

What kind of person would do this
Intentionally crash a plane into a building
That’s the day, I left naïve behind

Oh the living hell they must have endured
Above the points of impact, now left to choose
Do I jump or die in this inferno

Desperate phone calls and messages went out
Pleas for help that would never reach them
Love proclaimed by voices that would soon be silenced

Firemen and police officers
Dedicated to serve and protect
Answered the call that day and laid down their lives

110 story skyscrapers don’t collapse!
Not just one, but two towers came down that day
Dust clouds chasing those who miraculously survived

Unthinkable evil struck again
Another plane filled with precious human souls
Used as a missile, plowed headlong into the Pentagon

Lives extinguished
Devastating injuries
Wounds, far deeper, scared the souls of those who survived

The war against evil began that day
It started on United 93
Courageous, heroic passengers said, “No!  We’re taking it back.”

On that day it didn’t matter
Black, White, Asian, Hispanic, Native American
We were all one…Americans United

Can it really be
There’s a generation that wasn’t alive
Or those who don’t remember that fateful day

There isn’t a day that goes by
When I don’t remember
Recall afresh the horror of that day

It may be a plane overhead
A tall building on the horizon
A police officer or firefighter passing by

An American flag flying in the breeze
Saying the Pledge of Allegiance
Singing “Oh, say, can you see” evokes tears

To those whose lives were extinguished
Those who lost family or friends
I vow to always remember


by Susan Wachtel
September 11, 2016