9/11 Readers� Theatre
Spring 2013
Forgot to set my alarm and now I�m late for work
trust me to be so damn forgetful can�t get anything
right these days. David�s going to hit the fan when
he finds out I�m late again, twice in one week. I
shove a banana down my throat, almost forget to chew,
fling my jacket on and fly out the door.
My tongue runs over the slimy film that coats
my unbrushed teeth. I run down four flights of
stairs and head for the subway. I squeeze
between people who amble along, almost
purposefully slow just to get on my nerves.
I clench my teeth, sealing the impatient slurs
that long to escape from my mouth.
Hastily, I clamber down the stairs and
feed my ticket to the machine but it
rejects the ticket. A long drawn out
sigh whistles out my lips, I do not have time
for this. I race over to the machine, shove
my dollar bills in and yank my ticket out,
steal on through to the platform where I can
hear my train arriving, screeching impatiently.
The lady in front of me is blocking my way and I
try to get around her, but she is extremely large.
I watch helplessly as my train rolls away, forcing
me to catch the next one in ten minutes. I fidget,
annoyed, checking my watch in the hopes that time
might magic itself back. When I finally make it
off the train and out onto the
street, I hear a deep bellowing thunder
like the sky opening up. Overhead I watch a
large dark shadow move across the sky toward
that building I had entered every morning, Mon.-Fri.
for work for the last two years. It showed no sign of
stopping. Eleisha
listened to the radio today instead of that
old creedence clearwater revival tape
kids in the backseat singing love potion #9
it�s charming
how they sing so off-key
wait
what
I have to pull over to the side of the road
the air caught in my throat
Dear Lord, hear my prayer
I tell the kids to be quiet
they want to know why I pulled over: why this why that
Krista be quiet I�m trying to listen
she doesn�t want to listen
I sigh and try to explain
but they look at me –
Oblivious Krista
(Flight Attendant – Betty Ong)
This is what my mother feared. What
she warned me about. Maybe not exactly.
Surely she never imagined men taking
over the plane and telling us our new
destination was one of the New York towers. I�ve
worked for this airline 6 years, met Amy
when I started.
there she is. Crying
over the Senior pilot�s body, little more than a
crumpled heap. My God, did they just let them
on with those? They�re barely old enough to have
a drink, but there they are pointing into the
crowd warning them of what is to come.
Their patchy beards now glistening with
sweat, not unlike that of the passengers.
We�re flying low now. I can hear the warnings
from the pit. Everyone can hear it.
I know they hear it too. Irma
�I Am Still Here, But Why Aren�t They?�
It was 5:46 AM for me,
But it was 8:46 AM for you.
I lived in San Jose, CA,
But you lived in New York City, NY.
I was across the country from it,
But they were across the street from it.
I was dreaming in my sleep,
But they were wide-awake in a nightmare.
I was in my warm bed,
But they were in the cold morning.
I heard about people dying,
But they saw people dying.
I heard about the clouds of dust,
But they were in the clouds of dust.
I had my hand over my mouth from astonishment,
But they had their hand over their mouth to block the inhalation of dust.
I was thinking of the 4th grade in the morning,
But they were thinking of how to escape the 80th floor.
I was scared,
But they were terrified.
我无言以对，
But they were screaming for help.
我永远都知道为什么会这样，
但他们永远不会知道为什么。
我在想我妈妈从夏威夷度蜜月回来的飞机，
但他们想到的是在高塔上的飞机上的亲人。
I had my mother come with me that day to school to feel safe,
但他们再也感受不到母亲的拥抱了。
我可以和爱人白头偕老，
But they won�t.
I saw the planes crash into the towers on TV,
But they saw the planes crash into the towers with their own eyes.
我在电视上看到双子塔倒塌，
But they saw the towers fall from the inside.
那天我看到树叶从树上落下，
但他们看到尸体像石头一样往下掉。
我知道消防员和警察进去了，
But some never came out.
我希望他们能被找到，
And they were hoping to be found, too.
我还在这里,
But why aren�t they?
盟友
Why are people screaming? 哦，我的天啊——人们
are yelling, crying! 这是怎么回事？
I look out my apartment window and see
a gray monster of smoke – Fire, Ash, Smoke, and
Concrete tower over New York. “我的天啊！”
帮助我们!� I scream under my breath.
警笛响了——纽约的街道
到处都是碎片——父母和孩子，家庭，
adolescents, men and women in business suits –
无助的! Nothing separates us now � we scream
为了求饶，我们大声呼救——我们这些人
活着的和死去的，我们尖叫起来。
September 11, 2001. 苏茜
The sirens were blaring.
People were screaming, while others were crying.
I grabbed on to Ma�s hand as hard as I could.
发生了什么事？
I watched as the police pushed people behind a caution tape.
Mama wouldn�t tell me what was going on.
她只是握着我的手，抬起头，眼里含着泪水。
I tugged on her hand hoping to get her attention but she
couldn�t look away.
妈妈为什么不注意我呢？
我抬起头来，看到我非常熟悉的那座建筑轰然倒塌。
The smoke and debris were piled in the front.
No one could go past.
Mama dropped to her knees beside me still not letting go.
我问出了什么事。
我不知道她是否听到了我的话。
我又看了她一眼。
爸爸去哪儿了？ 安琪拉
我从房间里出来，穿戴整齐，准备出发。
典型的一天。I�m tired. I hate mornings. 我的牙齿
是刷牙和早餐造成的滑溜和薄荷味吗
probably already in my intestines, I don�t know.
My mom is sitting in front of the TV and not down in
the car waiting for me like usual. I notice she�s crying and praying
softly to herself, and I can�t figure out why until I focus
在电视上。 一栋大楼在冒烟。一个重要的一个。 我不能理解
它的意义。 It�s just a building. Hopefully the people
是好的。
我们都跪成一圈祈祷，背景是电视
描述当时混乱的局面。 I�m safe on the other
世界的另一边。 嗯，如果我在那里，我就会跑掉。
Simple solution. 每个人都高兴地回家了，对吧？
And then the other is hit, too. 有人做过这个
目的是什么? 但这是美国，我们是不可战胜的，每个人都爱我们。
我不明白。 这样的事情是怎么形成的？
I�m crying because Mommy�s crying. So is my sister. 所以
我的兄弟。我们在祈祷，但烟还是没停。
And now the buildings are falling. And there are people jumping
从窗户。 And though I can�t hear them, I know they
不会没事的。 我不明白。 泰
一觉醒来就有了这个想法
我应该抓紧时间了
up and brush my teeth when
my mum�s voice could be heard
waking my daddy
something about some building
being bombed and
falling down
who cares
mean people bomb other people
all the damn time
especially on the news so why
can�t we put the cartoons back on?
at school, half of my classmates are
missing, and all of my teachers
have the news on the radio and
Mr. Madson says that we will forever remember
this date and
this day
he has lost it if he thinks that a thing
even this sad thing
will stick in my mind more than
all of the other
sad things in the world. Rhiannon
(coffee shop owner)
the daily routine: annoying alarm, the smell
of my own fresh brewed coffee, dog barking
next door not allowing that snooze to take effect.
morning bathroom run on the cold tiles
of the lonely house.
I walk to work as usual, it�s only on
the next street.
The usuals walk in and the cup of joe
ready in my hand I�d say �what�ll it
be?� already knowing the answer I hand
them the cups and see their faces
brighten up.
customer�
order�
money�
brew�
extra shot? wish I had one�
fake smile on my face �
big crash
customer and I look up and out the
window
people screaming,
running
my whole shop is shaking.
I walk outside�dangerous?
there is debris, smoke, and boulders of
concrete falling from the sky
struck and awestruck.
What do I do? Thomas
7th grade student
I wake up thinking that it�s any other day, but
it�s not. Something is wrong. I hear my parents
arguing, that�s not something that happens often.
I come in and ask Mom and Dad what�s
the matter and I see tears coming from
their eyes. My mom rushes to hug me
and starts babbling nonsense about a
plane hijacking and people dying and
how I shouldn�t go to school today.
But Dad says I should go, people would be
understanding, he says, the world is not like it was half a century ago, he says.
I�m in shock,
when they explain to me what happened, but
I have to go to school.
At school, all the kids look at me
weird. Friends walk away
from me, wouldn�t talk to me. In class
a few minutes before the lecture,
teacher running late, everyone avoids me.
I can�t take it, but then someone, I don�t
know who, but only hear, yells out
�Why�d you do that? Get the Hell
out. Traitors�
In tears I run out of the classroom, the teacher
just out in the hall, asking me what�s the matter.
And soon I�m on the floor crying out. Asking why.
I have suffered just as much as
they have. Those terrorists did not only attack
my country, did not only hijack the
plane, they had also hijacked my religion today.
Alexander
It was like every other day:
Woke up, got ready and Mom took my brother and me to school
But when I stepped out only the playground
Silence.
Nobody was playing or laughing or screaming
Just sitting quietly, huddled in groups.
I walked over to my friends sitting in front of the classroom door.
�Happy Birthday Brennan!� I said
He looked up from the ground, eyes tempted by tears.
�It�s a sad birthday, a no good birthday at all�
They told me what happened. In class we watched the
news. The buildings crumbling down into a cloud of dust.
It became that day when nobody said anything.
Lea
Eleven years old.
I was eleven years old when the planes hit
the towers in New York.
When I woke up to get ready for school
Mom was watching the news.
Crying.
When I asked her what happened she said
�a plane crashed into the World Trade Center�
�Oh.� I said.
I watched the news with my crying mother.
We watched the plane hit the building over and over again
When I got to school some kids were
哭
有些人开玩笑。
有些人不知道这架飞机。
我不知道我属于哪一类。
我的老师告诉了我们这个消息
in case we didn�t know.
那时我们十一岁。
她说她不在乎
school said
and kept the TV on.
那天上课没人专心听讲。
作为一个班级，
作为一个整体
我们看了2部nd飞机撞上了
建筑。
And we all cried.
在一起。
作为一个整体。 玛丽莎
北卡罗来纳西部九月的一天
我在西卡罗莱纳大学教书的地方
秋叶已把山峦点缀得锦上添花
我在临时抱佛脚准备我大一的比较课
桑德拉来过我的办公室，我听到了吗
一架飞机刚刚撞上了世贸大厦
在纽约的中心？
现在回想起来，我感到很尴尬——我没有
我知道世贸中心是什么。
I returned to my prep for class.
盖尔出现在门口，又是一个故事
关于飞机撞进世贸中心的报道。
我去上课了，向计算机教室走去。
The previous instructor had left the instructor station
电脑
CNN的现场直播让我和我的学生都惊呆了
我们看着浓烟滚滚，双子塔倒塌，
有人跳楼自杀
烟雾、沉默、震惊、悲伤。
我的一个学生——她的父亲——含泪离开了
在五角大楼工作 华纳博士
Thinking back now: I woke up and
看到妈妈在哭。 我问, �Ama, porque
lloras?� 我母亲回答说：“Porque los hijos de la。
Chingada chocaron las avirones en Nueva York.� 我跑
看电视（我才6岁）th grade then). 我去上学了
不知道有没有人知道纽约发生的事。
我们校长开着扩音器讲话
about the incident and how we should pray for
those who lost their lives.
我问自己，如果我在上面，我会怎么做
那些飞机？ 我是要反抗还是坐以待毙
等着看会发生什么？ 直到今天我还不知道
我会的。 但话说回来，生存的机会
劫机的可能性微乎其微。 因此我会
尽我所能做点英雄的事。
特别是如果我的家人或朋友在飞机上
和我在一起。 穆
我瞪着尖叫的闹钟，然后
试着说服自己起床。 我
我知道，如果有任何机会，我会去做的
我得赶上午10点的统计学课
向上。But the sheets are warm and my body is
still heavy with a deep, lingering sleep, so I
把收音机从闹铃调到调频
音乐会让我动起来。
同样，如果你刚刚打开电视，a
一架飞机撞上了世贸大厦北塔
the World Trade center!� DJ的声音是
疯狂和不相信，这引起了我的注意。
我不知道什么是世界贸易
是的，但我想我父母会的
很想在他们走之前听听
所以我从床上滑下来，光着脚
into the kitchen and living room.
�Hey Mom, what�s the World Trade Center
它位于哪里？我问，仍然很累。
她看着我，带着一种混合的
困惑和愤怒，她不是一个早起的人
要么。
它在纽约。为什么?� she snaps.
我拿起电视遥控器，然后
耸耸肩。
因为显然是一架飞机撞上了它。
They just mentioned it on the radio.�
我的爸爸妈妈僵住了，盯着我看
就像我刚刚告诉他们我是外星人一样
女王叫伯莎，她爱吃花生。
我终于有了电视频道
CNN
�There, see.我指着屏幕
接下来的一个小时像糖蜜一样过去，
我父母打电话到公司说他们会来的
late and I miss class. 我不完全确定是什么
世界上刚刚发生的事，但我知道
我的将永远不会和以前一样。我所能做的
think about is my big brother and how he�s
still in basic training. Laura
A normal morning, I thought.
Gotta� get ready to head out to school.
My mom�s voice, loudly telling me I
needed to shower, or we would all be late.
I walked into the kitchen, and almost
fell into my mom�s gaping mouth,
stunned into immobility.
I followed the trail her eyes made
and my mouth fell open too.
The scene being shown was unknown.
The words that explained were undecipherable.
Bomb, airplanes, New York, World Trade Center?
As I tried to eat my cereal, in my
comfortable, quiet kitchen, I heard them
talking
Mom says:
I know, what are the odds.
Today, of all days. Another September 11th.
Dad says:
A new country, a new life, same
atrocities, and on this anniversary.
He shook his head, and tried to
shake off the images that were vying for
a turn at his attention.
I was too young to know, but
this marked a deadly anniversary in
their lives.
Now this day would mark an anniversary
in mine.
One day, two events, immeasurable pain.
Camila
I hopped in the news van that morning
with a numb feeling in my chest. How many
people were in that building when
the plane hit? We took an elevator to the
top of a building on the other side of the
city and stood waiting, watching, with the
other camera crews. I tried to hold my
hands steady when it came time to film, but
they shook. The journalist in front of my camera
read the facts we knew on live TV.
Time of collision
Approximate numbers
No names. Did I know anyone who
worked there? Were they at work this early?
The whoosh of another plane interrupted my
thoughts. It couldn�t be another plane.
The news crews around me stood frozen,
our minds reaching out, willing the plane to
disappear.
It disappeared into the side of the other
tower, doubling the smoke in the air.
Doubling the numbness and the pain and the shaking.
�Oh my God,� one journalist said.
�It appears that another plane has hit the
other tower� another one reported mechanically
into her camera.
The planes were mechanical, but the people
were not. Franchesca
Poem # 1
Too early.
Whose idea was this, anyway?
At least we�re only watching
a video.
Something for
American businessmen
who do business
in other countries.
CAS 140
Communications and Culture
The professor turns on
the TV
static.
find the right channel.
put in the tape.
What was that
on the TV
before the video started?
buildings?
smoke?
World Trade Center?
across the bottom of the screen?
Fleeting images
No logical connections
So the video continues
and we all learn
how to negotiate
with businessmen
from the Middle East
Poem #2
How do I respond?
I�ve never been to
New York
at least not when I could
remember
the closest was
perhaps
Dick Clark�s
New Years Eve
I don�t know
people there
at least not in the city
I know I should feel bad
So why don�t I care? Jeremy
I couldn�t write
because
I don�t have a story.
I don�t remember anything
but the towers
burning.
And animosity.
At school I pledged allegiance
to a flag half mast
and a country I never
betrayed
a country that had
betrayed me.
Who cares if the enemy
cries? Nahida