He stared toward a cloudless sky, a tear was present in his eye.
What did he see I wondered loud – this man of strength did not look proud.
Transfixed we watched through a camera’s lens; strangers before, now oddly friends.
What are his eyes held witness to? What’s stirring such tears of painful hue?
Electronically we were connected, our lives attached, a stopped nation affected.
What horror was there, upon his gaze? – What caused such pain amid the haze?
Some sounds not known were heard aloud – and people screamed amid the crowd.
We struggled to sense what view they saw, the fireman’s face was present more.
His sorrowed eyes bleeding despair – my God, what was he seeing there?
I could not move, we stood transfixed, my view of hell would soon be nixed.
He bore my witness through those flames, this hell on earth from terror planes.
Our Eagle screamed….. the metal cracked, two once proud towers stood attacked.
The human toll still yet unknown, our feeling safe was overthrown.
Finally as I stared I recognized….. what was causing those tears in that fireman’s eyes.
Oh – My – God, humanity was being lost – and helplessly we saw the cost;
The sound of people,… people,… jumping down, from towers strong in our New York town.
Locked in horror, frozen, all there stood – bewildered eyes saw nothing good.
We viewed a scene of great despair…amid evil, smoke, and hate filled air.
Connected witness we became, to terror’s rage and human pain.
Trapped atop a blinding heat, were once moms and dads upon the street.
A “better option“?… caused by hate – to leap the flames and own your fate.
More horrid thoughts we’d never known, not from before the glass had blown.
Theirs was not an option for the stair, their only choice hands locked in prayer.
I cannot grasp the thoughts that crossed – the minds of those loved, soon to be lost.
As victims now…. their life soon ceased, a hurling body – soul released;
and for those who bore witness, my God the pain; those memories seered will long remain.
Connected all we stood aghast, all witness to the terror blast.
Their bodies torn, their spirit lost; memories now……. a priceless cost.
But what we have now to decide; reflecting on this place they died.
The Blood-soaked ground, the empty skies, our throat in knots, our tear filled eyes.
A memory now so deeply burned, their sacrifice for us was learned.
The hurt, the pain, the bitter sorrow, must guide us now toward tomorrow.
For those we loved and families lost, no gold of man can count the cost.
Through the eagles’ tears our nations price, we must honor those of sacrifice.
How do we honor such courage bold, and warm our souls despite the cold.
A daunting charge ‘mid our mortal stage – to reflect that courage amid our rage.
Two decades past and now we find – our hearts, our souls, our tears, our mind.
Still harken back and feel those tears; the wound -the scar- through many years.
Memories honored must remain, our task in life to cherish that pain…
For souls we lost and sorrow bound – we must always respect such hallowed ground.
~Sundance
Beautiful.
Wow. That is all.
President Trump went to NYPD today, too.
He is still my President. He understands, as does Sundance.
Fox covered Joebama, and W, but not a word about Real-President Trump.
President Trump’s visit to NYC today was the only reason to smile today. He was and is a beacon of light and hope. MAGA!!!
We will never forget.
How can any American be an anti-America Communist/Fascist/Totalitarian?
They rule America today, but not tomorrow.
Amen!
Bless you!!!
Beautiful, Sundance, just ….. beautiful.
My eyes are filled with tears, as my heart aches with pain and sorrow for those lost then and losses yet to come.
How can we as a nation survive when lessons are never learned?
I can only pray that as our troubled times escalate, we can be as brave, as American, and as united as all those on that fateful day.
Now I need to go dry tears and wash my face
God Bless
same here
I love my brothers.
Best friends I have ever had.
Even after 40 years.
Beautiful! This anniversary has hit me almost as hard as 9-11. ?
Same.
Likewise. Maybe because of the debacle in Afghanistan, but Really because
“Each man’s death diminishes me,
For I am involved in mankind.
Therefore, send not to know
For whom the bell tolls,
It tolls for thee.” John Donne (1572-1631)
Me too
Awesome! God bless you Sundance and God bless the USA!
Beautiful, Sundance.
❤️??
Epic tribute.
Beautifully written Sundance. The scars will be embedded in our hearts and minds forever.
No words to describe. Thank You.
Oo Sundance. Beautiful words. Tears.
Sundance – beautiful
Thank you Sundance .
We need to take over our Country… for the last 30+ years we’ve been in the wrong course ( except while Trump was in the WH ).
Let’s do what the Poles did in the late 70s.
NATIONAL STRIKE.
The rank and file in unions should strike… ignore the union chiefs, in fact, vote them out. Shut down the ports, airports, trains, trucks, etc, etc… do this one week at a time. No more subways into Wall Street and DC… no more chichi restaurants and take out for the arrogant urban intelligentsia. Let THEM eat cake.
Those of us not in unions should start taking every Monday off sick day. See how the Big Shots Who Know Everything deal with that?
Time to do something… something that will have an impact.
We will engage in peaceful civil disobedience… They will go ape sh!t because there will be nothing short of… actually, nothing. We have the numbers over them. They can’t send the police and army to get us to go to work… they can’t bust the unions without forever destroying the already thin, worn out veneer of the Democrat Party… they will have no recourse…
..They will have to deal with us, on our terms. We’ll defeat them.
Time to demonstrate to everybody that there are far more of Us than Them. And We do more in a day than they will ever do in their entire miserable lives.
You know, those Poles in the late 70s were absolutely brilliant.
Walensa. He went out on a limb and won victory for the rights of the Polish. Do we have a Wanensa?
So, how do we do this?
Surreal and stunning. Every heartfelt word needed to tell the story.
I have great respect for Rudy Giuliani, “America’s mayor,” who stood with first responders and didn’t shrink away. He was a boss and the only reason I held my sanity through the days and weeks that followed.
There is a video made by two French brothers who just happened to be filming a documentary with firemen in lower Manhattan as the horror unfolded.
The film is gripping and gritty and at one point shows Rudy Giuliani running with Father Mychal Judge in the bowels of the trade center moments before Father Judge became the first known casualty in the collapse of the towers.
I know people who were there and some who never made it home. Their stories are the stuff of nightmares.
I can’t bring myself to visit the Freedom Tower, but when my daughter went she just happened to walk straight up to the name of our friend etched into the waterfall. Serendipity.
A boy her age was orphaned on 9/11 and the town “adopted” him and made sure he had mentors and coaches in his life. He became a star ballplayer in college. There are many such stories of empathy, friendship and stewardship as we held each other up to survive this tragedy.
WHEN WILL THERE BE JUSTICE for the atrocities committed against our nation on 9/11/01?
With tears in my eyes and love in my heart, I say thank you for the depth of your compassion.
Perfectly expressed, Kate.
I borrow your words.
Thank you, Sundance.
Thank you!
something in my eye…
Same here. I think it’s from the onion I peeled yesterday.
Like it was yesterday. I heard those people above where the planes hit calling the rock station in Manhatten asking for the station to call their loved ones,etc. Then later on my scanner dispatch calling engines to answer without success.The smoke billowing up into the sky. We will never forget.
Seems like only God and Sundance keep me alive. God Bless you Sundance (and your special crew).
Well done, Sundance. This is beautiful.
Incredibly strong. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you for putting words to our shared pain so beautifully.
All I can do is let the tears flow.
Thank you for this Sundance.
May God bless you.
Those people had no option. None.. Their fate was sealed. Rip, every single victim..
A fitting tribute… Hallowed ground, indeed.
A near-immaculate conception of the time and place. Thank you, Sundance.
Excellent
Well done, Patriot, well done.
Although he was only six years old at the time, 9-11 defined what my son would become. For halloween that year, he insisted on being a firefighter. Not just any firefighter , but a FDNY firefighter. MY wife had to attach a neon yellow FDNY on the back of his costume, and his school had him lead the costume parade.
The urge to be a firefighter never left. He began volunteering at age 16 and took any and all training courses available. Even after going to college, the calling to be a firefighter never left. He applied at many different cities and towns large and small for the very few positions that were available. Two years ago his hard work and persistence finally paid off. My wife and I are proud and terrified parents of a career firefighter.
God bless your son. You and your wife raised a good man.
Sundance, you captured beautifully the emotions of an horrific cowardly assault, perpetrated upon the Innocents on 9-11-2001.
The surprise, the shock, and the great sorrow, which then stimulated the Fear, in all who witnessed the catastrophe, and especially those in person.
The Fear was eventually subdued and the Hunt for the American Enemies Within for the past 20 years; for no one could have breach the Homeland without the Help from the American Traitors…
Those souls who perished, shall not rest peacefully until those Enemies Within have paid their evil debts and then God Almighty Shall Pass Judgement upon their very ‘souls’..
Amen
What a beautiful poem that describes many feelings. We will never forget it. Thank you, Sundance.
So beautiful, Sundance! Thank you for sharing your heart and soul and mirroring what we feel but have difficulty saying. God bless!
Thank you. God Bless America.
I remember….
Thank you. Beautiful tribute.
We love you Sundance!
Thank you. Very sad but thank you. It honors all you speak of. It’s a very sobering day.
Oh wow…..tears in my eyes……so beautiful!
Thank you.
Sundance ,you are a national treasure.
Beautiful Sundance,
Thank you
“The Better Option”.
Yes. What courage of these brave people and an honorable and fitting tribute. I hope their families read this. Thank you Sundance. This pierces my heart.
Thank you.
Back in those days it was different, but recently I don’t really give two hoots about what happens on NYC. You can be assured that most, not all, of the people in the city hates Red America. I’ve changed and America has changed.
Although I worked in Manhattan for several years after 9/11 I never wanted to go to Ground Zero. After reading this, I’ll have to make that trip.
I went to Ground Zero in October of 2005. I’m from Texas. The hole was still in the ground and there was chain link fence all around it. The enormity of the hole cannot be imagined until you see it. It was on a Saturday night in NYC and all around the site, you could’ve heard a pin drop. It was eerily quiet in such a huge city. I wept the whole time we were walking around it. It felt like you were walking on holy ground. I will never forget it as long as I live.
Sundance, I don’t know who you are, but you are our thoughts, our eyes, our hearts. I thank you.
A sad reality of this day but also a reminder of what so many witnessed. Heartbreaking, mind altering and forever etched. No tv screen could ever show the magnitude of what the eyes of the responders saw and the heartbreak of that day.
Again thank you