Ground Zero

[Guest guest]

This morning my SIL Sharon and I were dropped off at the beginning of

Chinatown (Canal St) by nephew. We did some fun shopping of knockoff

sunglasses I got Prada, she got Ray Bans, for $7 apiece, I got Zehava

her closed-back baseball caps ($5 each) then we walked to Ground Zero,

which was quite far, about 18 blocks down Broadway.

Firstly let me assure you, there is absolutely no element of

ghoulishness or rubbernecking involved. All the streets leading to

the site where the WTC stood are closed off and guarded by a heavy

police presence. The most anyone can see are the twisted girders and

charred surfaces of nearby buildings, most have massive plastic

sheeting to cover their naked and damaged faces. At one point if you

twisted your neck and peered through a hole in some green protective

sheeting, you could see the " sculpture " , the wierdly artistic pointed

remains of the Twin Towers.

But, to be honest, you didn't *need* to see anything, although the

sight of the charred and twisted buildings was a shock. First there

was the smell, which you noticed first a good twenty minutes walk

away. It was the smell of old bonfires, of one's home after the

firemen have been to put out an unfortunate chip pan blaze. The smoke

too, hung in the air and clouded the otherwise crystal air.

The nearer we got, the stronger the smell, until Sharon complained of

a headache, and my cough got worse.

We didn't need to *see* anything because the atmosphere around us was

like nothing I had ever experienced. It was like being in a giant

crypt; heavy, dank, and you could almost hear the echoing whispers of

those who will now never, ever leave this place. People were sombre,

quiet, respectful, listening to the echoes. It seemed to us that even

the *air* hung more quietly, with its hands folded serenely in its

lap.

Six thousand souls were around us, whispering to us, and were asking

us never to forget. I don't think I ever will.

Ruthie