Tuesday morning, 8.40am
in the city of New York
As commuters began arriving
for another day at work ~
The dawning of a new day
as traffic moved around
And people shuffled in the streets
amongst the city's sounds.

Oblivious to anything else
the city began its day
While another plan of action
was also underway ~
A plan so horrific
so sure to leave its mark
Beginning in Washington,
Boston and Newark.

It was 8.45am
when a loud exploding sound
Was heard throughout Manhattan
and the city's surrounds ~
A plane en-route to LA
that had been hijacked
Crashed into the World Trading Centre
in this horrific attack.

Some eighteen minutes later
as people could only stare
Another plane flew straight into
the second tower there ~
While cameramen recorded
this second incident
The building burst into flames ~
such sadistic intent.

People jumped out of the buildings
from about a hundred floors
In such a panic, afraid to die,
cannot take anymore ~
Millions watched from the ground
at the horrific sight
As bodies hurled toward the ground
in panic-stricken flight.

Then all of a sudden came a rumbling
as smoke filled the air
Billowing from the crumbling tower
and clouding everywhere ~
Filling the streets as people panicked
with debris falling all around
The first tower in the attack
came crumbling to the ground.

People screamed as they watched
the tower disappear
And running from the falling debris
in panic-stricken fear ~
Trying to escape this tragedy
they cannot believe their eyes
Knowing that there were thousands
who had surely died.

Meanwhile in Pennsylvania
many saw the news
The horror that New York had seen
not one attack, but two ~
Silence, they could not believe
all that was going on
When suddenly there was another attack ~
this time, the Pentagon.

And as Pennsylvanians
sat in their living rooms
Watching this tragic disaster
with a heartfelt sense of doom ~
They felt a rumbling shudder
like an exploding sound,
Then hearing that yet another plane
had fallen to the ground.

In New York there were aftershocks
of the damage that was done
When the second tower to be attacked
crumbled in the morning sun ~
A third building of the Centre
later collapsed as well,
The number of how many lives
were lost no one could tell.

In just two and a half hours
the horrific tragedy
That rocked the nation and the world
could start World War three ~
But as sadness now sweeps the world
over such tragic incidents
The disbelief of all who think
these attacks just make no sense.

So in final tribute
may God bless everyone
May He be with those who were victims
may He shine on them with love ~
And may He take care forever
of all the ones who died
We pray they didn't suffer,
for their tears we all cried.

© Christina Smith
12th September, 2001
 

"This incident will forever be in people's minds ~ the day when the two planes flew into the World Trade Centre in New York, and another into the Pentagon and also Pennsylvania.   News reached across the globe throughout the night and into the next day....I know here in Australia, all regular programming was cancelled for LIVE telecast from New York.   It is an incident that will be in our minds for a long long time, and will go into the history books.    I wrote this poem the day I heard the news, as a tribute to those who were lost in the attack and those who were affected.
May God bless you all."

I made this border set out of one of the many photos of the World Trade Centre.
 

Below is a photo of the second plane flying into the South Tower of the WTC.

People panicked as the World trade Centre began exploding after the attack, and here
one person is jumping to try and save themselves maybe - as my poem says...
"People jumped out of the buildings, from about a hundred floors
In such a panic, afraid to die, cannot take anymore ~
Millions watched from the ground, at the horrific sight
As bodies hurled toward the ground, in panic-stricken flight."