Twisted

There was so much screaming in the air that day. 

Screaming winds, screaming sirens, screaming teens 

         and teachers. Currents spirals and twisted metal- 

walls- bodies. Mangled. Entangled forever in their adolescent

screeches of “Help me!” “I’m scared!” or those who just screamed

the gut wrenching sound of pure fear- all silenced beneath

the crushing weight of a wall built to keep us safe. It roared down

on top of us- taking the wind’s side, and turning against us.

Eight students were pulled from the rubble that night.

The remains of the halls- 53 years of strength, gone

in twenty seconds. For those that heard

their dying breaths, the gasps and cries

of injured friends- the true agony from the parents’ lips

as they were told their child was gone. For those 

who saw the lights flicker out once- twice- forever-

and saw the life slip out of a classmate’s eyes-

who gripped the lifeless hands, of the bodies

crushed beside them - whispered the lie,

“We’ll be okay” - The memories remain.

Their names forever echo in the roar

Aj, Ryan, Mikey, Michelle, 

  Jamie, Michael, Katie, PJ.

When the sirens call, we return.

When the wind roars, we remember.

When the sky grows dark with rain,

we panic- we see their faces again.

When we sit in a hallway, and

the power flickers, we

remember how short life is.

Those of us that

survived, are

twisted.

~Beth Alexander

This is the one day a year that I truly let myself mourn. I watch the videos. I read the posts. I look through the photos. I remember the last words I said to them. There are some memories I can never erase. There are times that I return to that day throughout the year. When the weather turns, when I'm really down, when I see something that reminds me of them, especially teaching in a high school. (One of my students reminds me of goofy Michael from band.) There are days, like everyone else, that I question it all. Did it even really happen? Why them? Why not others? I think sometimes that it's almost harder when there's no one to blame for a tragedy- you begin to sometimes blame yourself. On days like today, this 7 year anniversary, it's hard to remember to celebrate their life instead of remember their death. Every time I think this year I may forget the day of the anniversary I log on to Facebook and the first thing I see is their faces. The memorial videos, the pics, the "Never forget- 3/1/07". As if any of us could. At the same time, it's nice to know I'm not alone. I'm not the only one remembering, maybe hurting, maybe celebrating their memory. The point is, you aren't alone. 

Whenever we talk about them, we talk about how wonderful they were, how full of life. Continue that legacy. Enterprise strong. Never forget the EHS 8. 

                      "Remember the feeling"