Twenty four years ago from 9 11 2001
Twenty four years ago from 9/11/2001
Construction of Twin Towers began
with groundbreaking ceremony
on August 5, 1966,
but the towers themselves
witnessed vertical construction in 1968 and 1969,
with the North Tower
topping out in December 1970
and the South Tower in July 1971
subsequently The World Trade Center complex,
including the Twin Towers,
officially opened for business on April 4, 1973
and located in Lower Manhattan, New York City
immediately demarcated a distinct silhouette
defined the core of The Big Apple
with an august centerpiece
of the World Trade Center (WTC)
situated in the Financial District
near the Hudson River,
the complex occupied a 16-acre site
and graced the land that never slept
after September eleventh
two thousand and one,
where the spirits haunt,
especially on anniversary
that marked the deaths of 2,996 people,
including 19 hijackers
who committed suicide.
Once scheme decided upon
to blow to smithereens
said iconic complex edifice landmarks
(id est twin towers)
got sited within figurative cross hairs
after being chosen as ground zero targets
and after surreptitious perpetrators
honed specific details
of appalling terrorist attack
regarding when to pull off
what would turn out to be
the deadliest foreign attack on U.S. soil,
exceeding Japan's surprise attack
on Pearl Harbor in Honolulu, Hawaii,
on December 7, 1941,
which killed 2,335 members
of the United States Armed Forces and 68 civilians,
whereby death knells tolled
for either sacrifice of countless lives,
even on anniversary number xxiv of former
of abominable debacle
The Twin Towers apocalyptic tragedy
crowded out every vestige of living social
for days, weeks, and months.
I happened to be housed upstairs
sequestered within the bedroom
designated for me after our (Harris) family
moved into the house
at 324 (formerly R.D. #2) at Level Road
on February 28th,1968.
After returning from her outing
mother, (who would succumb
to ovarian/uterine cancer
about forty four months later)
came sprinting thru the front door
like a bat out of hell
shouting to turn on the television
every channel broadcasting
the fiery maelstrom
watching helplessly as flames
engulfed the like a towering inferno
after two airplanes flew
into the Twin Towers
as part of the September 11 attacks
on the morning of September 11, 2001,
whereby American Airlines Flight 11
struck the North Tower,
and United Airlines Flight 175
struck the South Tower,
leading to the eventual collapse of both buildings.
Television viewers like me
kept eyes glued to the tube,
and watched in horror
attuned to the pandemonium,
a worse fate than death cab for cutie
while mayhem reigned supreme
fueling absolute zero escape
as the vast majority of people
panicked, yet perhaps
in feeble attempt to family and/or friend
with one final telephone call
to said loved ones
choking back tears
before they sought desperation measures
such as jumping out the windows
from the upper stories,
and plummeted to their immediate deaths
versus being roasted alive.
Round the clock coverage occurred,
and aside from the impossible mission
to keep the nation updated
since tragedy writ large
and so much dramatic activity occurred
any spare moment availed
an announcer to offer tidbits
such as the following:
The Twin Towers stood 110 stories tall,
with the North Tower (1 WTC)
standing at 1,368 feet
and the South Tower (2 WTC) at 1,362 feet,
but the North Tower's height increased
to 1,730 feet when a large antenna
added to roof in 1978,
but this being a nonstructural addition
not officially counted
as part of the building's height.
Copyright © Matthew Harris | Year Posted 2025
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