Writing about the September 11 attacks, even now, years later, is a process that demands deep reflection and emotional honesty. It is impossible to separate that day from the visceral experiences so many of us had—whether we were watching the events unfold in real time, hearing the news through loved ones, or feeling the collective grief settle across the world. Time has a way of muting certain aspects of trauma, but it never fully erases the emotional landscape carved by such moments. In these poems, I wanted to explore not just the immediate reactions to the attack, but the slow evolution of grief and resilience that followed, both individually and as a society.
When something as catastrophic as the fall of the Twin Towers happens, we often focus first on the shock, the devastation, and the immediate response—the smoke, the dust, the confusion. But it is in the days, months, and years that follow where we begin to understand how profoundly such an event has altered us. THIS I write about.