Sept. 11: A student's poetic remembrance

UW-Green Bay students also reflected on the 9/11 anniversary in a host of personal ways. Among them was returning adult student and published poet Carleen Horner, a Human Development major from Sturgeon Bay. (Some of you might remember her from last spring’s Academic Excellence Symposium.) Horner has used poetry to examine and value her own life experiences, and encourage others to do the same, even (and especially) if they work in fields not typically associated with the creative arts. Here, in its entirety, is her 9/11 remembrance poem, submitted to this news site:

Legacies of Freedom, by Carleen Horner

There is no doubt
The whole world was shaken
That September day a decade ago
When so much of America was suddenly taken

In the aftershock, we mourned
Recognizing the loss, in human and material form
Now it is time to honor the gifts that remain
For the spirit of liberty survived that terrorist storm

High it flies with the stars and stripes we salute
Enduring the blowing shards of heated sand
For its tightly woven threads of humanity
Connect the hearts and souls of across our land

As we pledge to carry this forward for future generations
The legacy of freedom is ours to behold
Obligated to make it grow we know takes sacrifices
For it carries a power of magic and gold

The welfare of every being belongs to you and me
Responsibility, a burden so heavy it must be shared
The cost is blood, tears, and memories never lost
Yet without asking, everyday people cared

Strangers, loved ones, young and old, from all bloodlines
The legacy each one left will never fade
In memory of the past, it is time to let go
For only then will we appreciate the sacrifices made

To all the service people who protect us today
You are the guardians over the liberty we sow
We appreciate your efforts, your sacrifices
Thank you for stepping forward, not saying no