Two cities woke up to the same sun that morning
But at night the sun set, one peaceful, one warring
The City of Angels was safe and bright
But the City of Dreams went dark that night
A clear Tuesday morning from the west to the east
In less than an hour, reality will cease
Now 8:45; the first plane appears
It cuts through the sky, unnaturally fierce
Invaded, attacked, seized, overrun
Flight 11 from Boston hits tower number one
Time stops—
The city stops.
It must be an accident, how could this be?
Such innocent hope vanished at 9:03
Another jet reveals itself through the smoke
The piercing feeling only a second plane could invoke
Angry, sad, shocked, and confused
Flight 175 hits tower number two
What’s next?  What will come of this tragic affair?
How could a nation recover from such disrepair?
Speechless news stations prompted a presidential address
The world swallowed the news in stunned acquiesce
They intended to hurt us, to tear us apart
But America the Beautiful stood firm and took heart
Shaken and shocked, the day was long
Still there we stood;
Two towers short, but one nation strong.