50 Blocks Away
50 Blocks Away
A Poem by Christine Cole
September 14, 2001
In 2001, a plane flew by my window at 8:46am and crashed into the North Twin Tower. I wrote a poem called “50 Blocks Away” a few days later but was not ready to share it until recently. Now, it’s over 20 years since the most horrific terrorist attack this country has ever seen and many are still in awe that I’ve never left.
The truth is that, for those of us who survived the world trade center attack that day, we got to see the people of this city come together in a way that I still can’t quite describe. It was on that day that we all started to make eye contact and smile at the stranger that prepares our cup of coffee. We stand up for the pregnant lady who needs a seat on the subway. We pick up the garbage that the wind blows out of the trash can and we give our apple to the homeless guy that lives outside our door.
New York City is extraordinary because of the passionate, diverse and special individuals that make up its soul. No one is here by accident. I mean, even if you were born here, you’ll eventually leave if you don’t want to BE here. We are a city full of intentional people and, on this anniversary, I intend to remember those we’ve lost by celebrating who we’ve become. Above all, I hope to hear some fellow NYC stranger’s story and to share mine. Here’s my story for you: A poem entitled “50 blocks away”.
50 Blocks Away
There's a rumble outside
Oh, thank God, it's just thunder
Not that plane that flew by so low the other day.
It was so low and so loud and I thought
"Oh my God that plane's low. I hope it's not crashing"
Wonder what the beautiful people on it were thinking as I heard them pass my window
My window. Oh my God. My window.
50 block away
50 block away
50 blocks away.
It's so close
I can smell it. I can smell them
Makes me nauseous
It's so plastic, so electric. So awful.
I cannot escape.
Step out my front door and see the smoke
See the cameras
See the families in the missing person's line
It wraps around my block
I had to walk through them to get into Staples today.
I had to get my business supplies
"Oh, excuse me, missing person's line, do you mind if I cut through? I have to go buy some pens"
Didn't really say that - just felt like an Asshole
I need some pens and you need your
Husband/Wife/Son/Daughter/Sister/Brother/Friend
Excuse me, I need some pens.
They have been there all day and now all night long.
It's raining. Now they will be wet, waiting.
I am going to go and give them our umbrellas.
Well, there were no people in the rain
Just paper - missing posters - bleeding
So, I covered them with clear recycling bags and tacks.
A woman came by, she hanging her posters
I gave her a tack
She said thank you
She was crying with the raining sky.
I covered her poster with a clear plastic bag.
All those beautiful people
All ages - one 18
He was last seen outside the WTC at 10am
Where is he?
18
I wonder if the rain feels good to the living in the wreckage
I wonder if God answered their prayers for the rain.
Our chef at work used to work at Windows of the World
15 of his friends from that restaurant are missing.
There were servers up there, servers like me.
Now his server friends are missing.
Servers like me.
I wonder if I was in the WTC, how would I have died
A girl asked me at work "which way would you choose?"
Would I jump to my death, or would I stay and be burned?
Would I hope to have been hit quickly by the plane?
Would it be better to have been on the plane?
If I were in the stairwell, would I have held a stranger’s hand
Or would I have been alone
Well, I guess I couldn't have been alone with God by my side
"As you walk through the valley of death, do not fear, ‘cause I am by your side"
By their side
He was by their side
If I had had time to call, who would I have called?
God?
Matt?
My Mom?
But I wasn’t there
I was 50 blocks away
50 blocks away
50 blocks away
I called my mom
When I was 50 blocks away
She said "Oh thank God"
Then she stayed on the phone while I watched, "LIVE on TV", the 2nd tower fall
50 blocks away
I went outside and looked down the street
There it was; it was real
Not just on TV
It's still there. It’s still real. It's not going away.
I live in NYC. Came here to follow my dreams.
They're burning down there
They're burning
50 blocks away.
There's a rumble outside
Oh, it's just thunder...
