M'buti Moore-Sormiento records her thoughts about September 11, 2001, in a letter to the fallen World Trade Center Towers.
September 9, 2003~
Dear World Trade Center Towers:
I can't believe that in just two more days it will have been two years since you both disappeared from our lives; and because of it, the world as we once knew it is no more.
In just two more days, it will mark the two-year anniversary of the date where our country was savagely attacked by foreign terrorists who have no regard for humanity; and who hate us because we are free and they are not; and because of their evil, many innocent lives--men, women, even innocent children, some as young as just two years of age--were snuffed out in a horrible and despicable fashion.
Because of their terror tactics, you, the twin towers that once graced the heart of Manhattan, in New York City, New York, no longer stand, changing its famed skyline forever and ever, and lives were forever changed in a horrifying way; and because of it, many people are still left grieving, and many more are still asking that perverbial question: "WHY??"
Because of their terror, I no longer have my friend, Stephanie Green, who died when the one plane hit the tower she was in. At first, it was thought that Stephanie died when you towers fell; but she died when the plane hit; it hit her floor, and she was killed instantly. She was only in her 30's. She died far too young, and she died in a way that still makes me cry today. WHY did she have to go away so soon, and WHY did she have to die at the hands of fanatical madmen who find nothing more than trying to destroy America and all that she stands for??
I can't sleep anymore at night; I am still plagued by nightmares, especially now, with the anniversary date approaching; and people are once again cowering in fear or are living with unpleasant and nightmarish images that are again being played out on tv sets all over our nation. I saw far too much that day, and I shall never forget the horror and uncertainty I felt that day. Then, when I heard that Stephanie had been killed, I thought I was going to go crazy! I couldn't believe it, and it still is an ongoing nightmare for me. I just can't IMAGINE the hell she must have endured before she died; or what was going through her mind; and that is what is probably the most upsetting to me.
Our friend, M'Kaya Mnjama, worked at your building, and she escaped; but BARELY--and that was ONLY because she and her disabled friend, Wendie Jo Malick, were on break when the attacks happened; so they weren't in the buildings when the planes hit (THANK GOD!!!). She DID get debris in her leg, and she DID end up getting sick and then losing her leg; but she eventually recovered, and she is trying to go on with her life since that unforgetttable day. She is now married, and she is big with child; she is due to have her child, a boy, sometime next month. She plans on naming it after Stephanie; she is naming him Stefan, as a way of remembering her. They sometimes worked together. She also lost ten more co-workers in the terror attacks, plus her employer was badly burned and must learn to live with devastating burn scars on his face for the rest of his life.
I shall always remember seeing your beautiful and majestic buildings that scraped the sky; and I shall always remember the ride on the elevator on the way to the top floor (and getting sick on it in the process; SORRY about the mess I made!), and then the fantastic and panoramic view of downtown Manhattan from the very top floor; and also the wind whipping at our faces as we gazed out over the skyline, taking in its majestic view.
Now you and your twin are both gone, forever; but you, like my friend, Stephanie, shall always live on in my heart and memory. You will never be forgotten, and you will always hold a special place in my mind and heart.
God bless you and keep you; and thank you for many years of beauty and majesty! You were among the TRUE symbols of America, and you will live on in the hearts of millions, me included.
As always, M'buti. >TEARS< (Remembering September 11, 2001)
September 9, 2003~
