11 September 2012

Forever Locked To History

To myself, I debated whether or not I wanted to publish this.  Most of the "commemorations" of the 9/11 attacks seem like mindless chatter or grandstanding to me; I can scarcely stand to hear anything about it save from people--or their families or friends--who were directly affected by it.  

But I thought this photo would be a simple yet eloquent reminder of what happened on that day:





These bicycles and the rack were retrieved from the wreckage of the Twin Towers and are now housed, along with other items recovered from the World Trade Center, in Hangar 17 of John F. Kennedy International Airport.


Some of these bikes are twisted, almost mangled.  But they are still locked to the rack.  People rode them--probably to work--and locked them to the rack, where they will probably stay forever.

3 comments:

  1. We were all directly affected by the attacks. Whether we were the families of those in the buildings, or the people that built the planes, or simply heard the guards at Buckingham Palace play The Star Spangled Banner for us to show us we were not alone...

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  2. I remeber that was my first day of college.

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  3. Dan--Wow! And I thought my first day of college was traumatic because my first two classes were Chemistry and Calculus!

    Steve--I suppose you're right: All of us were affected, in one way or another. I didn't lose any family members, friends or even close acquaintances or work colleagues. However, I can't help but to think that it changed, however subtly, the way I think about some things. I just can't stand to hear politicians use the event for their own purposes.

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