Never Forget--911

[wavingrl]

September 11 Memorial Events Around the Washington, DC Region

http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/9-11-27/

eta: more poems

http://www.loc.gov/rr/program/bib/911poetry/#ind

 

[wavingrl]

Photograph from September 11 by Wis?awa Szymborska : The Poetry Foundation

Photograph from September 11
Photograph from September 11
By Wisława Szymborska 1923–2012 Wisława Szymborska
Translated By Clare Cavanagh and Stanislaw Baranczak

They jumped from the burning floors—
one, two, a few more,
higher, lower.


The photograph halted them in life,
and now keeps them
above the earth toward the earth.


Each is still complete,
with a particular face
and blood well hidden.


There’s enough time
for hair to come loose,
for keys and coins
to fall from pockets.


They’re still within the air’s reach,
within the compass of places
that have just now opened.


I can do only two things for them—
describe this flight
and not add a last line.
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[wavingrl]

Poet Lucille Clifton Reads a Poem About the Days Surrounding Sept. 11 | PBS NewsHour | Sept. 8, 2006 | PBS


Transcript


LUCILLE CLIFTON, Former Poet Laureate Of Maryland: My name is Lucille Clifton. I was having lunch at Saint Mary's College in Maryland on September 11, when I watched on television the devastation of the Twin Towers. And I thought a lot about that and about the fact that my eldest daughter had, had a new baby girl five days before, and about love and continuing and fear and hope. And this poem is a reaction to those thoughts and feelings. The poem is called "September's Song: A Poem in Seven Days." And I would like to read two days in the poem.

Tuesday
thunder and lightning and our world
is another place no day
will ever be the same no blood
untouched



they know this storm in otherwheres
israel ireland palestine
but God has blessed America
we sing

and God has blessed America
to learn that no one is exempt
the world is one all fear
is one all life all death
all one

Sunday Morning for bailey

the st. marys river flows
as if nothing has happened

i watch it with my coffee
afraid and sad as are we all

so many ones to hate and i
cursed with long memory

cursed with the desire to understand
have never been good at hating

now this new granddaughter
born into a violent world

as if nothing has happened

and i am consumed with love
for all of it

the everydayness of bravery
of hate of fear of tragedy

of death and birth and hope
true as this river

and especially with love
bailey fredrica clifton goin

for you

 

[TakeAStepBack]

Yes, never forget. As if Statists would allow us to do so. You've got another two weeks before we have to relive that event ad neaseum. Can we save it up till then?

Thanks.

 

[eots]

I pledge no allegiance
Nigga, fuck the President's speeches
I'm baptized by America and covered in leeches
The dirty water that bleaches your soul and your facial features
Drowning you in propaganda that they spit through the speakers
And if you speak about the evil that the government does
The Patriot Act will track you to the type of your blood
They try to frame you
And say you was trying sell drugs
And throw a federal indictment on niggas to show you love
This shit is run by fake Christians
Fake politicians
Look at they mansions
Then look at the conditions you live in
All they talk about is terrorism on television
They tell you to listen
But they don't really tell you they mission
They funded Al-Qaeda and now they blame the Muslim religion
Even though Bin Laden was a CIA tactician
They gave him billions of dollars and they funded his purpose
Fahrenheit 9/11
That's just scratching the surface

They say the rebels in Iraq still fight for Saddam
But that's bullshit
I'll show you why it's totally wrong
Cuz if another country invaded the hood tonight
It'd be warfare through Harlem
And Washington Heights
I wouldn't be fighting for Bush or White America's dream
I'd be fighting for my people's survival and self-esteem
I wouldn't fight for racist churches from the South, my nigga
I'd be fighting to keep the occupation out, my nigga
You ever clock someone who talk shit, or look at you wrong
Imagine if they shot at you
And was raping your moms
And of course Saddam Hussein had chemical weapons
We sold him that shit
After Ronald Reagan's election
Mercenary contractors fighting a new era
Corporate military banking off the war on terror
They controlling the ghetto with the fear of attack
Tryna distract the fact that they engineering the crack
So I'm strapped like Lee Malvo holding a sniper rifle
These bullets will touch your kids and I don't mean like Michael
Your body be sent to the morgue
Stripped down and recycled
I fire on house niggas that support you and like you
Cuz innocent people get murdered in the struggle daily
And poor people never get shit and struggle daily
This ain't no alien conspiracy theory
This shit is real
Written on the dollar underneath the Masonic seal


I don't rap for dead presidents
I'd rather see the President dead
It's never been said but I set precedents

Immortal Technique ? Bin Laden Lyrics | Rap Genius

 

[wavingrl]

ok--intense, thought provoking, ideas communicated clearly

poets speak their truth--independent sorts--march to their own drumbeat

that is what we all want.

 

[Katzndogz]

It was September 11 memorial day.

obama changed it to Day of Service and Remembrance.

This year obama changed it again to Day of Service.

 

[wavingrl]

Yes, never forget. As if Statists would allow us to do so. You've got another two weeks before we have to relive that event ad neaseum. Can we save it up till then?

Thanks.

you can wait. i think i will not need the assistance of the media to recall

'statists'--not in the mood to google that--will assume it has something to do with 'status quo'--some political term. my mind would shrivel if I had to be terminally focused on political fyi.

every once in a while--I wonder if we have 'done something' about Syria. listening to oldies--I assume I would know from many new threads--expressing every emotion.

where is the POTUS--somewhere close to a phone or piece of technology that will let him know if he is needed. more memorial services taking place in DC? yes, it Weds--so he is probably over there.

 

[wavingrl]

It was September 11 memorial day.

obama changed it to Day of Service and Remembrance.

This year obama changed it again to Day of Service.

and he might change it again? in a few years someone else might change that.

glad the NYC project was completed--lots of discussion on that.

I would really like to see what they did in the field in PA. the chimes. if it is a park--hope it is still open. who knows what is going on. Has the fire in Yosemite been contained--that sounded bad--not something I want to have to remember when we had that.

Firefighters--some of our very best. Hope all of them are ok.

 

[R.C. Christian]

How can I ever forget? I lost a great deal of my liberty because of 9-11 and now live in surveillance/police state.

 

[Old Rocks]

Memories of 9-11. Just starting to get up, I was working a late shift, and my mother-in-law yells something about an airplane hitting a building in New York. Go out into the living room, look at the picture on the screen, and wonder how a pilot could make a mistake like that.

Then the second plane hits, and I realize we are at war. No doubt in my mind as to the people behind this, we were warned by Clinton that they were desiring to do something like this.

The church with all the Presidents there, singing the Battle Hymn of the Republic. I actually felt pity at that point for the people involved. Never imagined it would be many years and under another President before justice was served.

We lost much that day, and the worst part is that so much of the collateral damage from 9-11 was self inflicted.

 

[bianco]

It was September 11 memorial day.

obama changed it to Day of Service and Remembrance.

This year obama changed it again to Day of Service.

When Obama has left on the chopper, just change it back.