"High Country Autumn" by Karyn Robinson
We must never forget.
I'll always remember what a perfectly beautiful
day it was. A slight coolness in the air left no doubt Arizona
Today is the eleventh anniversary of a day we'd
all like to forget; a day we hardily wish had never happened. My
memories, like yours I'm sure, are still quite clear. Like a deep wound
that has healed but still aches, eleven years later there is still real pain.
I remember sitting down and trying to write a
letter to my young son, not to be read on that day but to be placed in his treasure box and read when he was older. Something he might even share with his own child when the events of that
day had passed from recent history and could be viewed with perspective; a luxury only the
passage of time provides.
I wanted to tell him that although the actions of a
few were horrific, I still choose to believe 'man is basically good' and the positive in life will always
outweigh the negative. But on that day and even the weeks that followed,
words failed me.
Art can do what words cannot. When words
fail we often turn to images to convey grief, pain, sorrow...and hope.
In the days that followed the tragedy how
many slide shows did you receive in your email? I know I cried many times
and the world cried with me. That shared sorrow brought Americans
together to mourn not only the dead but the passing of our collective
innocence. Deep down inside we knew life would never be the
same.
In the years that have passed much art has been
created to memorialize that day; to mourn for the souls lost and honor the
brave men and women who died in a heroic attempt to save lives.
Below is a link to a gallery of such art.
The pieces have names like, "Chaos", "The Hero",
and "Light and Memory".
I especially like a work titled,
"Remembrance". Perhaps the original resides in a treasure box
to one day remind a little boy who is today a man the world remains a beautiful
place and 'man is still basically good.'
Copyright Karyn Robinson, 2012
