TRAGEDY AND FORTUNE
A Wife’s Account of Her Missing Husband on 9/11

An original poem by Carol Goodman

I SAW THE IMAGE ON T.V.-
MY HANDS BEGAN TO TREMBLE.
THE TOWER BURNING THICK BLACK SMOKE;
MY THOUGHTS I COULDN’T ASSEMBLE.

MY HUSBAND WORKED IN TOWER ONE,
AN UPPER FLOOR I KNEW.
COULD HE BE IN THERE BREATHING SMOKE?
TO HELP…WHAT COULD I DO?

I CALLED HIS OFFICE, NOT QUITE SURE
OF WHERE THE STAFF WOULD BE.
A WORKER ANSWERED, CRYING OUT,
“PLEASE HELP US TO GET FREE!”

MY HEAD WAS SCREAMING, “PLEASE DON’T DIE”
BUT WHAT WAS THERE TO DO?
COULD THEY ESCAPE AND BEAT THE ODDS?
I PRAYED THIS COULD BE TRUE!

AND EVEN THROUGH THIS HORROR SCENE
MY HUSBAND WASN’T THERE.
THE STREET? THE STAIRS? A SUBWAY CAR?
HE COULD BE ANYWHERE!

THEY TOLD ME THAT THEY WEREN’T SURE
OF WHEN OR WHERE HE WENT.
HE WASN’T IN THE OFFICE…
I DIDN’T KNOW WHAT THIS MEANT!

MY TERROR RAGED INSIDE OF ME…
WAS ANY OF THIS TRUE?
AND THEN A SECOND PLANE APPEARED.
ITS AIM WAS TOWER TWO!

THE SHOCK OF WHAT WAS HAPPENING,
NOT KNOWING WHERE TO TURN
MADE SCARY THOUGHTS SHOOT THROUGH MY HEAD,
WHILE FEARING WHAT I’D LEARN.

HE FINALLY CALLED ME ON THE PHONE.
HIS VOICE BEGAN TO SHAKE.
WE COULDN’T UNDERSTAND IT ALL
SO MUCH…SO HARD TO TAKE!

AND AS HE SPOKE IN UTTER SHOCK
I HEARD HIS VOICE AND CRIED.
I KNEW THAT WE WERE FORTUNATE.
I THOUGHT FOR SURE HE DIED!

HE SAID HE HAD A MEETING
IN THE NORTHERN PART OF TOWN.
HE LEFT BEFORE THE PLANE HAD STRUCK…
RODE EIGHTY-SIX FLOORS DOWN.

HE REACHED THE SUBWAY JUST IN TIME;
THE LAST TRAIN OUT FOR SURE.
HOW COULD HE KNOW HIS FRIENDS AND STAFF
WOULD LIVE THEIR LIVES NO MORE?

THE PLANE DESTROYED THE TOWER,
BUT HE WAS DOWN BELOW
THE CHAOS RAGING HIGH ABOVE.
HE DIDN’T EVEN KNOW!

THE SUBWAY TOOK HIM FAR AWAY
AND SAVED HIS LIFE THAT DAY.
FOR ALL THE ONES WHO DIDN’T ESCAPE
MY HEART CAN ONLY PRAY.