Remembering 9/11 with a poem

I wrote this poem on Sept. 14, 2001. My son was working at Church and Murray so was witness to much of the horror. My husband and I met him at the Brentwood RR station several hours later and we all cried there in relief and sadness. He's now a member of those rebuilding the site.

LADY LIBERTY CRIED

SHE WATCHES FROM THE HARBOR - SO MAJESTIC, SO TRUE

A SYMBOL OF FREEDOM TO ALL WHO PASS THROUGH.

VICTIMS OF STRIFE, HARDSHIP, WARS - HER BEACON WELCOMES ALL

"YOU'LL FIND SOLACE ON OUR SHORES."

ON HER ISLAND IN THE SUN, SHE PROUDLY REIGNS

DWARFED BY THE STEEL AND GLASS OF THE SUBJECTS SHE CLAIMS.

WITHOUT ANY WARNING, OUR SADDEST DAY ARRIVED -

WE ALL WATCHED IN HORROR AND LADY LIBERTY CRIED.

HER MESSAGE OF FREEDOM NOW BLACKENED IN THE SMOKE

OF A TERRORIST'S PLOT - A COWARDLY JOKE.

SHE SAW HER MIGHTY BUILDINGS CRUMPLE IN THE SUN,

REFUGEES SEEKING PEACE, "WHAT HAD THEY WON?"

AS WE PRAY FOR GOD'S GUIDANCE, WE WILL PERSERVERE.

WE'LL DEFEAT OUR REAL ENEMIES - COMPLACENCY AND FEAR.

TEARS OF GRIEF AND RAGE WILL TURN TO RESOLVE

THAT WE DO MORE FOR EACH OTHER - A KINDER NATION EVOLVE.

FOR WE ARE AMERICA, BEAUTIFUL LAND OF THE FREE -

OUR STRENGTH IS IN OUR DIVERSITY.

WE'LL GROW EVEN STRONGER AS WE TOLERATE THE PAIN

OF AN ENEMY'S CRUEL ATTEMPT TO EXTINGUISH THE FLAME.

LET US REMEMBER THE LESSONS OF THIS TRAGIC DAY -

ALL THAT WAS LOST - LOVED ONES TAKEN AWAY.

IN THE GLOW OF OUR FERVOR LADY LIBERTY'S TEARS WILL DRY

BUT FOR MANY GENERATIONS, WE SHOULD BE ASKING, "WHY?"

Phyllis Foley, Central Islip