I stood across the harbor
 On that bright September day.
 I watched as freedom' s symbols
So quickly passed away.

I saw the birds of hatred
As they flew so swiftly by.
I saw most hit their targets
 As they came down from the sky.

I saw the ghosts of war
As they gathered up above
The tragic scene below them
And flyaway as doves.

I could only watch in honor
And think of all who died
 I held my torch e'en higher
 As silently I cried.

I wondered how such hatred
Could cause this act to be:
 Just one more grim reminder
That Freedom isn't free.

How could so many perish
On just one fateful day?
Why did this have to happen?
Nothing could I say.

And as the shock surrendered
To reality and then
I realized that "buildings"
Could be built again.

The buildings were but symbols
And not what's in our hearts.
We'll rise up from the ashes
Stronger from the start.

We'll fondly remember
 'Those souls that flew away
And never e' er forget
The price they had to pay.

Our spirit will be greater
Than on that dreadful day,
Because we're now united
In a special kind of way.

I'll hold this torch forever
To show that we are one
And light the way to freedom
For those who wish to come.

My heart will still be aching
For what I saw that day
 But freedom WILL continue
 In a more determined way.

By Patricia Ann Watson Wyatt

( Mother of Lee Ann Clay )