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No Ordinary Night, September 12, 2001

September 11, 2018 by Jenna

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September 12 New York Skyline
On September 11, 2001, I woke up late on a Tuesday morning to find my mother in the living room, watching the news and crying. When we look back on a life-changing event, we can usually remember exactly where we were or what we were doing when we heard about it, but we don’t always remember much about the days that followed. As a ten-year-old, all I understood that day was that a plane had crashed in New York City. For many of us, fear and war scatter across our memories for the days that followed 9-11, and those memories are difficult to explain.

To help your children understand, share this pantoum by Morgan Reid Persun.

No Ordinary Night, September 12, 2001

No ordinary night, that, not with those fires smoldering;
the whole civilized world held out candles for us to see by.
And dawn’s early light found us standing, flags at half-mast,
the heavy artillery of the American spirit gathering. The silence ominous.

The whole civilized world held out candles for us to see by
as we looked through our ruined towers for a miracle,
the heavy artillery of the American spirit gathering. The silence ominous:
America had not gone down with the towers; she was revealed behind them.

As we looked through our ruined towers for a miracle,
the enemy believed we would crumble more easily within, but
America had not gone down with the towers; she was revealed behind them.
We looked up, one people, we the people, with terrible force.

The enemy believed we would crumble more easily within, but
we, sure that right would right itself, steeled to the cause.
We looked up, one people, we the people, with terrible force,
with liberty and justice for all. With justice for all.

And dawn’s early light found us standing, flags at half-mast,
we, sure that right would right itself, steeled to the cause:
With liberty and justice for all. With justice for all.
No ordinary night, that, not with those fires smoldering.

Filed Under: Successful Learning

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About Jenna

Jenna, lead copywriter at BJU Press, holds a BA in creative writing and an MA in English. Though her homeschooling experience was somewhat unstructured, she appreciates the flexibility of homeschooling since it allowed her to spend most of her time reading. Now Jenna enjoys reading and writing fiction in her spare time. Read more posts by Jenna.

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