Twenty-four Years Ago

Twenty-four years,
nearly a quarter of a century,
since the Twin Towers fell
and the world was changed forever.

Three months in
I lost my mother,
and as devastating
as the attack on the Towers was,
my first thought when 2001 is mentioned
is that that was the year my mother died.

Come August there was 
brief respite from the grieving
when we visited Ireland to celebrate
our upcoming silver wedding anniversary.
Returned for only a few weeks,
life was up-ended again
and the world gasped
at the devastation of two planes
flying directly into the Twin Towers,
and another directed at the Pentagon.

Thousands of innocent people died that day.
Many more were injured.
Hundreds of thousands of lives were changed.
As a New Yorker, 
if felt like everyone knew someone
who was lost that day,
if not someone who happened to be in the building,
it was a policeman, a fireman, or another brave soul,
trying to get others out.
The images of flames and smoke,
of people jumping from windows
or wandering down Manhattan streets,
dazed and covered in ash,
live in our memories forever.

Twenty-four years ago. 
I remember all that
and the silent skies for days after
as no planes flew overhead.
I remember the tears
as the footage played on the television,
and stories came forth about last words 
via text message or left in voice mail.
I remember the helplessness.
More grief. More pain.

But in the midst of overwhelming
pain, grief, and yes, anger,
we somehow came together. 
Race, creed, religion, and politics 
didn't matter. 
We were human beings
with common ground,
reaching out from everywhere
with open arms to help
in any way we could. 
It was one positive thing
born out of devastation.

Twenty-four years.
We remember the pain and destruction,
but we have forgotten the lessons learned—
we have forgotten that we are better
when we reach out to help,
when we gather together 
in kindness and empathy,
that it's not us against them,
it's just Us,
and we're all we've got.

2001 was not a good year.
It changed me.
It changed the world.

We need to start remembering
before 2001 comes again.

~Elise Skidmore ©2025