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PETER MOUNTFORD E-EMAIL mountford1@aol.com 9-11 TRIBUTE THRU CONNECTION WITH NYC MARATHON . IN 2000 I RAN THE NYC MARATHON AND FELL IN LOVE WITH THE CITY, SO ON RETURNING HOME I IMMEDIATELY BOOKED TO GO AGAIN IN 2001. WITH THE EVENTS OF 9-11-2001 I DIDN'T THINK THE RACE WOULD TAKE PLACE , (NOV 4TH ) SO I WAS OVERJOYED THAT RUDY GIULIANI INSISTED THE RACE GO AHEAD. ON ARRIVAL AT KENNEDY AIRPORT I WAS CALLED TO THE BRITISH AIRWAYS DESK TO BE INFORMED THAT MY MOTHER HAD DIED AFTER A LONG STRUGGLE WITH CANCER, WHILST I WAS IN THE AIR. IN THE PREVIOUS WEEKS I KEPT TELLING MY MOM THAT IM NOT GOING TO NEW YORK DUE TO HER POORLY CONDITION. SHE TOLD ME, I KNOW YOUR HEART IS BREAKING BY THE SITUATION, BUT YOU MUST TRAVEL TO NEW YORK WITH MY BLESSING AND STAND AGAINST TERRORISM AND MAKE YOUR MOTHER PROUD BY SUPPORTING FREEDOM AND LIBERTY . MY PLANE LEFT LONDON FOR NEW YORK AT 10.00AM (GMT) SHE DIED 20 MINUTES LATER, A FACT THAT STILL BRINGS A TEAR. SO THERE I AM IN NEW YORK EMOTIONALLY DEVASTATED TWICE. I SAT ALONE ON THE BACK OF THE BUS TRAVELING FROM KENNEDY TO MANHATTAN . IT WAS A BEAUTIFUL SUNNY DAY JUST LIKE 9-11. I LOOKED OUT OF THE WINDOW STARING NOWHERE IN PARTICULAR, IN AN EMOTIONALLY SURREAL STATE . THEN CAME THIS WONDERFUL SIGHT IN THE FOREGROUND THE VAST CEMETERIES OF CALVARY AND MOUNT ZION AT MASPETH AND ON THE HORIZON THE MANHATTAN SKYLINE, SEEN THRU A KALEIDOSCOPE OF TEARS AND SMILES BECAUSE I LOVE IT SO MUCH. (DEDICATED TO THE PERSON WHO WAVED THE BATH TOWEL FROM THE TOP FLOOR OF THE NORTH TOWER ON SEPTEMBER 11 TH 2001 .) NOT BEING AMERICAN I CAN GIVE AN OBJECTIVE VIEW, GIVE ME YOUR TIRED AND WEARY FROM THE ELLIS ISLAND QUEUE . DRIVING IN FROM KENNEDY, THOSE EARLY IMMIGRANTS CROWD THE INTERSTATE. AT CALVARY AND MOUNT ZION , THEY HAVE CREATED REALITY FROM DREAMS, AND YOUR AT ITS GATE. GIVE THEM LIBERTY , THE TYPE THAT TYRANNY CONFOUNDS. WHERE PEOPLE ARE FREE WONDERFUL ENERGY ABOUNDS. THEIR LEGACY TO US ARE THE BUILDINGS THAT STAND. ON THE ISLAND OF THE HILLS SO PROUD SO GRAND. THE THING THAT GRAPHICALLY ILLUSTRATES THIS SO WELL, SO FINE. IS THAT MAN MADE GRAPHIC EQUALIZER, THE MANHATTAN SKYLINE. TWO HIGH PEAKS ARE MISSING WHERE SYMBOLS ARE NORMAL LY FOUND. WILL THE HARMONY BE BROKEN THE LOSS SO PROFOUND . IN ITS SPIRITUAL HOME MR LENNONS IMAGINATION STANDS PROUD AND TALL. FOR NEW YORK A RACIAL LIQUIDIZER , TEACHES TOLERANCE FOR AL L. MANY YEARS FROM NOW, WHAT WILL 9-11 MEAN , A DATE OF COURSE A NUMBER PERHAPS. STILL CONNECTING TO THOSE GUYS WEARING NYC DEPARTMENT BASEBALL CAPS. THE REST OF THE WORLD SINGS A CHORUS FROM THAT OLD SINATRA SONG. ITS UP TO YOU NEW YORK NEW YORK , WE KNOW IT WONT BE LONG. YOUR TEARS WILL DRY FOR THOSE HEARTS SO BRAVE AND TRUE. THAT'S WHY THE REST OF THE FREE WORLD LOVES THE RED WHITE AND BLUE. EVERY YEAR I COME BACK AND RUN THE NYC MARATHON (THIS YEAR NOV 7 TH , RACE NUMBER 3794) WITH A MESSAGE ON MY CHEST IN SUPPORT OF YOUR WONDERFUL CITY. THIS TIME ITS NEW YORK . RUNNING FOR THE UNFORGOTTEN AND THEIR FAMILIES. FINALLY BACK IN ENGLAND THE YANKEES ARE NOT JUST A BASEBALL TEAM, NOT JUST NEW YORK CITY BUT THE DEFINITIVE WORD TO DESCRIBE THE AMERICAN NATION. ON MARATHON DAY ONE MAN WILL PAY HOMAGE TO YOUR UNFORGOTTEN PAST WITH UNCONDITIONAL SUPPORT FOR YOUR DREAMS AND ASPIRATIONS IN THE WORLD SERIES OF EVENTS, BOTH IN AND OUTSIDE BASEBALL TO SAY
. GOD BLESS THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA . ( GIVEN FREE BY AUTHOR TO THE PEOPLE OF NEW YORK , NO COPYRIGHT) |
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