Sharing and Honoring My 9/11 Story

After 9/11 I took the subway down to lower Manhattan because it was something I felt I needed to do. Like many people, I’d been struggling with how to make sense of it all, how to explain it to my young children who were surrounded by reminders of that day, and how to come to terms with my own mortality. I felt like I needed to document the day in some way. I’d done quite a bit of journaling in the past, but somehow writing a journal entry seemed too real and almost too accepting of the situation. So I decided to put my thoughts into prose and the poem below was the result.

Saw the void
In the city sky
Didn’t know how to feel
Didn’t know how to cry

Missing towers
Between Church and Vesey
Disoriented
Streets were messy

Reading prayers
And words of hope
Missing persons
Hard to cope

Policemen’s jerseys
Children’s art
Emotions pouring
From the heart

Tattered buildings
With windows taped
Like damaged souls
Or young girls raped

Should only face
Such heartache
With someone special
Who can make

A positive comment
A comforting word
To remind me
How absurd

To take your anger
Out on others
Innocent spouses
Children and mothers

I’m so glad I put my thoughts down on paper that day. Not because I think this is the world’s greatest poem, but simply because it captured the story and the emotions of the experience. And it froze the memory in  time in a way that it can be shared and honored.

A lot of what I do as a career coach revolves around teaching people how to tell their story in a meaningful way that can be shared and honored. People with great career stories are a lot like poets. Great career stories are concise and easy to remember. But their brevity doesn’t lessen the impact of their message; instead it intensifies it.

If you are trying to come to terms with the story of your career as you embark on a job search, consider writing about it first. Chronicle your successes as well as your obstacles. Write in paragraphs, bullet points, or even in prose. But get your thoughts down while you are “in the moment.” Doing so will help you create a more authentic and compelling message when you are ready to share your story with others.