Twenty four years ago from 9/11/2001

Construction of Twin Towers began

with groundbreaking ceremony

on August 5, 1966,

but the towers themselves

witnessed vertical construction in 1968 and 1969,

with the North Tower

topping out in December 1970

and the South Tower in July 1971

subsequently The World Trade Center complex,

including the Twin Towers,

officially opened for business on April 4, 1973

and located in Lower Manhattan, New York City

immediately demarcated a distinct silhouette

defined the core of The Big Apple

with an august centerpiece

of the World Trade Center (WTC)

situated in the Financial District

near the Hudson River,

the complex occupied a 16-acre site

and graced the land that never slept

after September eleventh

two thousand and one,

where the spirits haunt,

especially on anniversary

that marked the deaths of 2,996 people,

including 19 hijackers

who committed suicide.

Once scheme decided upon

to blow to smithereens

said iconic complex edifice landmarks

(id est twin towers)

got sited within figurative cross hairs

after being chosen as ground zero targets

and after surreptitious perpetrators

honed specific details

of appalling terrorist attack

regarding when to pull off

what would turn out to be

the deadliest foreign attack on U.S. soil,

exceeding Japan's surprise attack

on Pearl Harbor in Honolulu, Hawaii,

on December 7, 1941,

which killed 2,335 members

of the United States Armed Forces and 68 civilians,

whereby death knells tolled

for either sacrifice of countless lives,

even on anniversary number xxiv of former

of abominable debacle

The Twin Towers apocalyptic tragedy

crowded out every vestige of living social

for days, weeks, and months.

I happened to be housed upstairs

sequestered within the bedroom

designated for me after our (Harris) family

moved into the house

at 324 (formerly R.D. #2) at Level Road

on February 28th,1968.

After returning from her outing

mother, (who would succumb

to ovarian/uterine cancer

about forty four months later)

came sprinting thru the front door

like a bat out of hell

shouting to turn on the television

every channel broadcasting

the fiery maelstrom

watching helplessly as flames

engulfed the like a towering inferno

after two airplanes flew

into the Twin Towers

as part of the September 11 attacks

on the morning of September 11, 2001,

whereby American Airlines Flight 11

struck the North Tower,

and United Airlines Flight 175

struck the South Tower,

leading to the eventual collapse of both buildings.

Television viewers like me

kept eyes glued to the tube,

and watched in horror

attuned to the pandemonium,

a worse fate than death cab for cutie

while mayhem reigned supreme

fueling absolute zero escape

as the vast majority of people

panicked, yet perhaps

in feeble attempt to family and/or friend

with one final telephone call

to said loved ones

choking back tears

before they sought desperation measures

such as jumping out the windows

from the upper stories,

and plummeted to their immediate deaths

versus being roasted alive.

Round the clock coverage occurred,

and aside from the impossible mission

to keep the nation updated

since tragedy writ large

and so much dramatic activity occurred

any spare moment availed

an announcer to offer tidbits

such as the following:

The Twin Towers stood 110 stories tall,

with the North Tower (1 WTC)

standing at 1,368 feet

and the South Tower (2 WTC) at 1,362 feet,

but the North Tower's height increased

to 1,730 feet when a large antenna

added to roof in 1978,

but this being a nonstructural addition

not officially counted

as part of the building's height.