We are the children of 9/11.
We were raised in New York and New Jersey.
We were old enough to remember it all.
It was the beginning of a chaotic journey.
People can come and move to New York.
They can live and flourish here.
I will never accuse them of not being New Yorkers.
But there's a difference between us that's clear.
It's not their fault, but they can never understand.
They can show reverence, but they'll never understand.
For we lived it and breathed it and felt it happen, and saw
The only home we knew assaulted, firsthand.
We were just children on 9/11.
We went to school and kissed our parents goodbye.
We went about our business as children do,
Never thinking that day that childhood would die.
I remember my friends being pulled out of class.
My peers and I noticed the phone calls to leave.
I remember the look on my teacher's face
When telling the news that we had to receive.
I remember the panic in the classroom.
I remember the tears and the fear.
I remember the wishes of the other children
That their parents were safe and would be here.
The children of 9/11 went home that day,
And watched the chaos and waited.
We understood the severity of the situation,
Anxiety built as we contemplated.
Finally and slowly, people returned to their homes,
Most still shaken from where they had been.
Although some of my peers weren't so lucky,
Some would never see their loved ones again.
We know people who had parents never come home that day.
All night, a young man waited for his dad in strife.
The night became days, then weeks, then months,
And now he'll be waiting for the rest of his life.
We are the children of 9/11.
And yet, we are children no more.
Now we are adults in a chaotic world.
One in which there is much to endure.
But many of us grew up determined
To make the world a better place.
For the children of 9/11 are resilient,
And we rise to the challenges we face.
Many of us have since joined our city's finest and bravest,
Others work as our strongest and as teachers.
Some of our greatest even joined the military,
Whatever we do, we are a special breed of creatures.
We've grown into the adults since 9/11.
We are children no longer and no more.
And having that day forever with us,
We fight for the good that we stand for.