Phantom Towers: Reconstructing the Normal Essay -- Personal Narrative

Phantom Towers: Reconstructing the Normal Every night before going to bed I used to stare at Manhattan at its best. The tall buildings with the lights on give you the impression of diamonds laid on black velvet. It is such a treat to live on the 26th floor, to not have the suffocating sight of walls and windows obstructing the view. But the scenery has changed drastically since September 11th. White smoke was everywhere. At night the smoke became even more apparent with the shine of the stadium lights at Ground Zero that aided the workers making it through the night. From my window you would not pay attention to the buildings that survived the attack, your eyes could not leave that spot where the fumes and light were glowing. In the same way you see a hurricane from a distance, its dimension, its movement, its strength; in the same way you could see that spot on the tip of Manhattan where light hit the tiny molecules of dust giving an eerie impression of death and spirits. The word "debris" was in the news, in my neighbor's mouths, in the press; but I couldn't think of debris per se, people were scorched to death. The Twin Towers became a crematory of innocents. The souls of the deceased were roaming about before going to the other world, the after-life. No matter the distance, you could see that uncanny cloud even from New Jersey. I stood at my window for hours, hoping to see the black smoke turn to white; a good signal that fire was being extinguished. For a moment, I saw it happening and felt relieved. But the sudden and unexpected surrender of the towers after those agonizing hours filled me with disbelief for I knew I was "witnessing thousands of deaths," as John Updike describes the tragic scene. The follow... ... Professor Gilbert explains, it is what one does with time. I wonder how long this country can live in the fallacy of predictable and understandable normalcy while seeing a world that is neither. Works Cited "Filling the Void." The New York Times Magazine 23 Sept. 2001: 80. Gilbert, Kathleen R. "What is Grief?" 2 Jan. 1997. 9 Dec. 2001. <http://www.indiana.edu/~hperf558/sprng97/unit1.html>. "Kearl's Guide to the Sociology of Death." Kearl's Guide to Sociological Thanatology. 9 Dec. 2001. <http://www.trnity.edu/~mkearl/death.html>. Longaker, Christine. "The Normal Process of Mourning."Spiritual Care Program. 9 Dec. 2001. <http://www.spcare.org/practices/suddendeath/bereavement- processofmourning.html>. Updike, John. Reflection. New Yorker. 24 Sept. 2001. 11 Nov. 2001. <http://www.newyorker.com/THE_TALK_OF_THE_TOWN/?01092ta_talk_wtc>.