This Bites: My thoughts on fobidden fruit. (An essay on 9-11)
by
Mary -BrytEyz- Ball
(Age: 40)
copyright 08-27-2004
Age Rating: 7 to 127
A long time ago in a land far far away, there was a great big apple hanging on a tree. It looked delicious as the dew around it sparkled in the morning sun. Two hungry mouths watered as they pondered over the forbidden fruit, then trembling anxious hands plucked the fruit from above (as if it hung from the sky itself).
First one bite was taken for her, and then one for him. They chewed the bitter fruit, not expecting it to have so tart an after taste, grinding the apples' flesh between their teeth before swallowing the remains down in "The Pit" of their stomachs. Slowly, the affects began to sink in and now they KNEW - they were naked.
In a round robin sort of way, mankind has gone full circle and relived the tale of that day. First one bite, then another was taken from the "Big Apple". Right there in lower Manhattan, great big bites were taken out! As America chewed on the broadcasts and swallowed the lumps in their throats, as we all digested the unspeakable horror... a slow revelation came over us. We realized that not only was there hate in the world, but some people out there hated us. We had heard of terrorism, but now we KNEW it. Our eyes were now open KNOWING (first hand, and some more so than others) war on our own shores.
While I watched the drama unfold that was pre-planned like some act in a play, I thought about the consequences of eating forbidden fruit. There's a dawning of realization, an awakening to things we learned as children but either forgot or were never able to fully comprehend, and a deeper meaning to the words..."I know."
When we say "I know" before words such as shock, pain, horror, anguish, terrorism, or war; it has a different depth to it now. Like a man in Biblical times who pointed and said, "I KNOW that woman," there's a carnal knowledge there. There's a deeper meaning, an added feeling down in the midst of their being.
After Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit they KNEW they were naked. They always had been naked. They were always aware they didn't have clothes on or a fur coat covering their body like the animals that surrounded them. However, when they KNEW they were naked, they ran and hid and went making loin coverings for themselves from the plants nearby.
Before 9-11 we were aware our airport security wasn't as tight as the rest of the world (naked if you will), we were aware of terrorism (those animals), and we were aware we were not as protected (not as "covered") as others around. Now... now we KNOW, and now we've run from that innocence and covered our loins with tightened security and other lost "freedoms" that go along with such an awakening.
All we can do is go on from here, forever changed by the knowledge we've acquired. We'll walk in the absence of innocence, clothed with added measures of security and loss of little freedoms because now we KNOW we were naked and exposed. We grew up a little after first one plane, then another took a bite out of the Big Apple's skyline.
War on American soil (attacking innocent civilians) was forbidden fruit in the Paradise-like dream that was our home. We've been expelled from that Garden of Eden fantasy in which we naively lived, but we are none the less alive and will wander to find a new place in the world of existence to make our home.
Perhaps one day, when our children grow up, we'll live in a world without those nightmarish images flashing in our minds and eliciting those all too familiar nauseous stomach pangs. Maybe one day they'll have to ask why we need to arrive three hours before our scheduled flight and subject ourselves to infinite searches through our belongings because they honestly don't KNOW. But for now, we KNOW. Deep down we will always really, truly KNOW!
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OOPS... I accidentally posted this shortly after 9-11, but for SOME reason I didn't notice and posted it again. I'm going to paste the comments from the original one here so they are collected together...
03-21-2005 Anthony Lane Stahlhut
Life was changed forever on that day. Thanks, Anthony
11-30-2001 Eric Carrillo
Hi, that was a great analigy. I' agree, we have always heard of tearerism, but now we have experienced it for the first time. thanks for your work. Take care.
11-29-2001 Paulette Weaver
your way with words is enchanting, even with such a horrendous event, you so elegantly admit to the sometimes inevitable...bravo
Paulette
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Wow, as usual, you blow me away with your work. I do believe you got your ability to write from him. He once wrote a paper for me on the Viet Nam war.
This was a tragic event, no matter how you look at it. Your analogy is incredible. Your mind works wonders with words, Mary! This is a wonderful piece. Thank you!
B.J.
What a sad day it is to lose our innocence. To be thrust forth into such "knowledge" of things we never wanted to know. To forever see images we'd like to forget. Ah... yes, innocence (though naive) is extremely precious. It's too bad so many had to die in order that others may now "see" and "know". I'm sorry for your past, and am glad you are here at PnP this day to share whatever it is you wish to share with us. *smile*
I watched the news reels here in the UK, they were horrific to say the least.
They brought back memories of my chilhood during W.W.2. The bombing of Liverpool where I grew up.
Unfortunately we have lived with acts of terror for as long as I can remember. The latest of course being the I.R.A bombings. The indescriminate killig of innocents.
We lost our innocence many years ago.
This comparison is great and I too watched in utter amazement. Yet I don't think we learned well enough. Just a few years later and we are not as well protected as we think! The security force is larger, but less trained. We still behave with the thought that it won't happen to me! Great write and another wonderful work by you. I have come to expect the best when reading your work. Thanks, Anthony
The correlation between the story of Adam and Eve, and 9-1-1, is haunting to say the least. Fantastic write that takes me back to that fateful day.
Nancy
I will never forget that imfamous day. I was working and living 28 miles north of Manhattan, in Peekskill, NY. I could actually smell the smoke the night of 911 coming up the Hudson. You have captured the impact of this event incredibly well. PS: Hope you got my CD by now, I sent it last week.
*Blinks* *Gets all grumpy and hunchbacked...pulls ladle outta nowhere* Moooorre???! You want MORE?! *Gives some, and little flower to go along with it. Giggles cutely* Kay!
Debra, your comments never cease to reveal the depth in you and the more I read... the more I'm amazed. And thank you for all your suggestions and assistance. They mean so much to me, and even more from someone who obviously cares so much and thinks through their comments so thoroughly.
I've amended the error. 'Scuse me ma'am... may I please have some more? (Oliver)
Last paragraph, third line from the bottom:
"searches thru our" should be "searches through our".
On your work...
There is so much I wish to say. So many things I could tell you. Stories about watching them fall, standing in utter horror as I wandered from my room to see the site on TV near five am. Or asked my dad what movie he was watching, only to have those eyes which never cried, turn to me as liquid emotion wandered freely down his cheeks. I wanted to say about how that image burned itself in my mind, next to that of Matthew Sheppard's forgotten sillhoutte...
But all I can say...is that on that day, the sanctity of the US, and its generations, were violated. You have shown how our innocence was ripped away, but you have one part wrong...
...for some of us, it was not our first two bites, but just another addition in our bellies to feast forced down our thoats.
Wonderful job. Just make the change I first told you about, and I'll be glad to increase the points.
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