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Found Poem from Fiaz Shuayb’s eyewitness account on 9/11

By Leah Kouchel

A loud explosion interrupted my class.

The boom was followed by screaming sirens coming from all directions.

Nothing prepared us for the scene outside.

My God!

World Trade Center engulfed in a raging inferno with huge gaping holes.

Everyone was bewildered.

A student whispered, “This is what America gets for supporting Israel.”

Another groaned, “Why can’t we learn to live in peace?”

One more said, “We have to return to prayer and to God.”

It was a gruesome scene, which sent chills down my spine.

Manhattan in smoldering ruins.

Moving away from the horrific scene, I looked back.

Back to see one tower come crashing down

In a stupendous cloud of dust and rubble.

This was real life imitating art.

I found that calmness amazing.

Perhaps New Yorkers were in denial.

Perhaps the reality had not struck home.

Perhaps it was just like in the movies.

All of the subway stations remained shut; we continued on to Grand Central Station.

I met a college colleague there who told me he saw how it all happened:

“I heard the sound of an airplane flying very low. Then I saw it smash into one of the World Trade Center buildings and burst into a huge ball of flame.”

“The ground shook and many people were in tears.”

It appeared the only and easiest route to Queens would be across

The long Queensborough Bridge.

I reached home at 4pm.

Tired.

Hungry.

A splitting headache, but grateful to Allah for my safety.

The biggest question on the nations mind is who did this or was behind it.

The Muslim community fears the possibility of vengeance against them,

Out of anger, hatred, and prejudice.

Many people of Islam received several threats.

New York leaders moved to warn citizens not

To translate their understandable anger into vengeance again the minority or religion.

The TV and internet blared chilling headlines:

It is undoubtedly the worst peacetime attack, ever, on a single nation,

And the largest-scale terrorist attack in history spread through the world