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Shock (20 Years Ago Today)
Jan. 28th, 2006 12:51 amI remember plainly where I was; I was at school (my junior year) working in the library - upstairs. The school happened to have access to the feed that was being sent out for education purposes, and it was on in the science department - and the library media room.
I could see the TV from where I was...I don't seem to recall actually *watching* it, but I think I remember one of the librarians, maybe, making an exclamation. I ran downstairs, and that's when I saw it for the first time. About the same time I got downstairs, the principal came on the PA system and announced what had happened - and a moment of silence.
The next thing I remember I was in class. I think I have a vague recollection of the bell sounding very, very loud. I also remember having a poem trying to form itself in my brain - I wrote lots of (mostly bad) poetry back then. It formed itself up...I was in Algebra 2 class, and wrote it in class. I think the teacher may have called on me, but I was pretty unresponsive, and I'm not sure I could answer.
When school let out, I went home & typed out the poem. (I went looking for it tonight in the box that has a lot of my old writings in it; unfortunately it seems to be gone. I think there was something about Seven Brave Souls - that might have been the title - but I can't remember it now.)
The next morning, the radio show I listened to was discussing it. I called in before school, explained that I had written a poem about it, and that I wanted to hear a song that seemed appropriate to me for some reason. The DJ let me read my poem, and went right into my chosen song - Russians by Sting. I still don't quite know why I chose that song, unless it was the haunting melody of it, and the message of "we are all the same underneath".
So today I remember. I remember the sorrow, I remember the loss, and I remember the fact that we kept going.
(BTW, MSNBC has been running a good special report about the whole thing, including a very well written article, "Seven Myths about the Challenger Shuttle Disaster".)
I could see the TV from where I was...I don't seem to recall actually *watching* it, but I think I remember one of the librarians, maybe, making an exclamation. I ran downstairs, and that's when I saw it for the first time. About the same time I got downstairs, the principal came on the PA system and announced what had happened - and a moment of silence.
The next thing I remember I was in class. I think I have a vague recollection of the bell sounding very, very loud. I also remember having a poem trying to form itself in my brain - I wrote lots of (mostly bad) poetry back then. It formed itself up...I was in Algebra 2 class, and wrote it in class. I think the teacher may have called on me, but I was pretty unresponsive, and I'm not sure I could answer.
When school let out, I went home & typed out the poem. (I went looking for it tonight in the box that has a lot of my old writings in it; unfortunately it seems to be gone. I think there was something about Seven Brave Souls - that might have been the title - but I can't remember it now.)
The next morning, the radio show I listened to was discussing it. I called in before school, explained that I had written a poem about it, and that I wanted to hear a song that seemed appropriate to me for some reason. The DJ let me read my poem, and went right into my chosen song - Russians by Sting. I still don't quite know why I chose that song, unless it was the haunting melody of it, and the message of "we are all the same underneath".
So today I remember. I remember the sorrow, I remember the loss, and I remember the fact that we kept going.
(BTW, MSNBC has been running a good special report about the whole thing, including a very well written article, "Seven Myths about the Challenger Shuttle Disaster".)
