In Memoriam: For the men and women we lost on 9/11

   

     “Brittany Clark, an 11-year-old from Crown Heights, Brooklyn, found out at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, through a call from the mayor’s office, that she had been selected to read a poem in memory of her father, Benjamin, at the ceremony at ground zero yesterday.

(original photo shot by Myra Lambino, New York, Central Park,  two weeks ago)

     “Brittany’s mother, La-Shawn, said that she had submitted the anonymous poem, which has been widely circulated for years, after she heard that organizers were specifically looking for a child to speak.

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     “Marianne Keane’s tribute to her stepfather, Franco Lalama, a structural engineer for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, found its way to ceremony organizers through the family of Mr. Lalama’s boss, Neil D. Levin, the Port Authority’s executive director, who also died in the attack. Mr. Levin’s widow, Christine Ann Ferer, asked for submissions from the Port Authority families and forwarded them to City Hall.

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     “Following is a transcript of remarks that Brittany Clark, 11, made yesterday in honor of her father, as recorded by The Associated Press.

     “This poem makes me feel like my daddy is speaking to me:

      I give you this one thought to keep,

      I am with you still, I do not sleep.

      I am a thousand winds that blow,

      I am the diamond glint on the snow.

      I am as sunlight on ripened grain,

      I am the gentle autumn rain.

      When you awaken in morning hush,

      I am the swift uplifting rush

      Of quiet birds in circled flight,

      I am the soft stars that shine at night.

      Do not think of me as gone,

       I am with you still in each new dawn.

 

    “Following is a transcript of the remarks that Marianne Keane, 17, made yesterday in honor of her stepfather, as recorded by The Associated Press.

   

    ” “I don’t remember the last time that I told him that I loved him. I would give anything to go back to the morning of Sept. 11 and tell him how much I appreciate everything he’s done for me. But I think that he knows that now. In my eyes he died a hero. And how much more could you ask for?

   

    ” “There’s a quote that pretty much speaks for itself: ”You never lose anything, not really. Things, people, they go away sooner or later. You can’t hold them any more than you can hold the moonlight. But if they touched you, if they’re inside of you, then they’re still yours.”

 

    ” “Franc, as I look back on these days, I realize how much I’ll truly miss you and how much I truly loved you. You were the best father I could ever ask for. I miss you and I hope you didn’t hurt too much. Love, Marianne.” “

                                           

                                                -an article by Kirk Johnson, “Vigilance and Memory: Offering Messages of Love to the Parents They Lost” published in the New York Times Sept. 12, 2002