On college campuses, this anniversary of the September 11th
attacks is poignant in a new way. Most of our first-year students were born in
2001, and now, even our seniors have very faint memories of the tragedy if they
have any recollections at all.
My strongest memories of that event all connect to my work
with students: trying to track down former students who were in the proximity of
the crashes, and supporting the students on campus who were at sea in the face
of mass grief and helplessness.
Last night a group of Susquehanna students placed a flag for
each victim of the 9/11 tragedy in front of the campus center. This was a
collective effort of the College Democrats, Libertarians, and Republicans. It
was a profound reminder that sorrow, respect, and compassion are not
ideological. Let us hope our leaders can soon find common ground as freely as
these students.
In 2001, my choir asked me to write a commemorative piece for
them to sing at Family Weekend, four weeks after the event. The text is below. On
this somber anniversary, may the light of liberty and peace shine upon us all.
The Shadow of
Liberty’s Light
Requiescant in pace!
[Rest in peace!]
Two trees of commerce
fallen
In the shadow of
liberty’s light,
Tall candles snuffed
by terror’s wind
Her lamp still burning
bright,
A symbol of our
charity,
Of promise and our
might.
Requiem in aeternam
dona eis Domine: [Grant them eternal peace Lord]
Et lux perpetua luceat
eis. [And light perpetual shine on them]
May we who now are
mourning
Our dear children,
husbands, and wives
In so doing honor
them,
Whose too brief stolen
lives
May serve as a
reminder
Of the future we must
seek
If we possess the
wisdom
To forgive and turn a
cheek
To hatred and to
ignorance
Each fed with poverty,
And clear away the
darkness
With our lamp of
liberty.
Et lux perpetua luceat
eis.