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September 11, 2001
It was a beautiful day, a preview of fall
As I awakened that morning, I got the call
Turn on your TV, my dad's voice said
Something's going on, his voice filled with dread.
Good Morning America was showing the scene
A crash in the Trade Center, we don't know what it means
We're not sure what happened, maybe a sightseeing plane
We're sending a crew, we're waiting for names.
And then there it was... a jet in the air
He's flying too close, Oh, God! Get away from there!
It circled, it turned, it was doing it's part,
A poisonous arrow aimed at America's heart.
We all watched in horror as the plane hit the Tower
This can't be happening, two crashes in an hour?
What's going on? Are we under attack?
Have they lost their minds? Or were they just off track?
This can't be on purpose! Not here, it can't be!
Don't they know we're the land of the free?
We are America! The people who care!
The one's who send aid to lands everywhere!
Who would want to hurt those poor innocent souls?
How can such evil be someone's goal?
We all sat in silence, with tears streaming down,
Then came the news, another plane, another town.
This time it's the Pentagon, have they lost their minds?
Dear God, this can't be happening, weren't there any signs?
I must find my family, but where do I start?
My daughter's in college, we're 500 miles apart!
I rush out the door and don't know where to go
I'm driving to work, but my car's going so slow
The world's in slow motion, I really can't breathe!
I stop at the deli, and shared with them my grief
They had no idea, as they sat sipping their tea
That the world had just changed for all humanity
Sweet ninety year old Mary, turned white fear,
Her son works at the Trade Center and lives very near.
Then, overhead, we heard jet fighters flying
We rushed to the door, all visibly crying
Dear Lord, what now, where else have they hit?
How many will die before the end of it?
Little did we know, that in a field not far away
Flight 93 would fall, killing all aboard that fateful day.
The horror continued, the Towers, they fell.
What once had been paradise, now reduced to Hell.
But under attack, Americans would unite.
We'll get them, we vowed, we're not afraid to fight!
Democrat and Republican, standing side by side
Pledging to fight the good fight, to avenge each one who died.
Yes, what a valiant effort, we all put forth at first
But, alas, the fight would bring out America's worst.
It's turned into a battle of politics, you see.
It's no longer what is right to keep America free.
How soon they forget, the pledge they made that day
To fight against the terrorists, come what may.
Even though attacks have ceased in our precious land
I fear that they are winning, we are playing into their hand.
United we stand, divided we fall; so the saying goes.
And this fight has divided our nation, as the Zogby poll shows.
If we are not willing to do whatever it takes
Then the terrorists will win, make no mistakes.
Brother against brother, father against son
This is our undoing, this is how it is done.
So, wake up America, I'm begging you to see,
We must fight to the death, to keep our country free.
Freedom and liberty for all, comes with a price,
And sometimes that means doing things that aren't so nice.
So before you complain about infringement on your rights
Just remember who keeps you safe when you turn out your lights.
I'd gladly sacrifice my rights to keep this country free
And pray to God that most Americans will agree with me.
I fear that America's unity will cease, consumed with all this hate,
And we won't see the enemy within until it is much too late.
©Shirley S. Baker, 2006
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