You passed me on the street
I rode the subway with you
You lived down the hall from me
I admired your dog in the park one morning
We waited in line for a concert
I ate with you in the cafes
You stood next to me at the bar
We huddled under an awning during a downpour
We dashed across the street to beat the light
I bumped into you coming round the corner
You stepped on my foot
I held the door for you
You helped me up when I slipped on the ice
I grabbed the last Sunday Times
You stole my cab
We waited forever at the bus stop
We sweated in steamy August
We hunched our shoulders against the sleet
We laughed at the movies
We groaned after the election
We sang in church
Tonight I lit a candle for you
All of you.
~Charlotte Parsons
September 11.
ReplyDeleteA day that history will mark... but the sands of time tend to eat away at the immediacy of our memories as we become more preoccupied with the challenges of the present. We never forget, but we tend to remember less often as well.
A whole generation has been born and raised since that fateful moment 16 years ago. They will be old enough to vote in the next presidential election as they stare down new fears and anxieties. That is how time works. We need to teach our history, but not be imprisoned by it.
I have so many dates seared in my mind... December 7 (1941)... June 6 (1944)... November 22 (1963)... April 4 (1968)... August 9 (1974) - just to name a few. They were and are the real backdrop for my time, and those who were on life's journey with me. I want to tell my grandchildren about what they meant. But like me reading about July 4 (1776) or April 15 (1865), they will note them and maybe remember them, but not feel them as I do.
We are on this earth but a short time. Our lives are marked with memories happy and sad, personal, communal, national, and global. Time strides on. The Earth spins. We pause, to think about the past... and the future. - Dan Rather
It's bizarre to look around a classroom & realize that the students weren't even alive then. It really is just some historical event (one that changed their lives).
ReplyDeleteAnd I follow Mr. Rather on fb~he's an excellent & reflective writer. Not as amusing as Keillor, but in that some tone.