Ten years ago, I was 15. I remember having a headache that day. I remember sitting with the boy I was sort of seeing in the auditorium that morning and complaining of not feeling well. Our school day went on the same, except there was no transportation to get home. The day was so hazy that I can't tell you for sure what class I was in when it happened. I think it was either second or third period, possibly gym. I do remember the class I got the confirmation, when it wasn't a rumor anymore, 7th period English. You may think that is a long time in between to not know, but my high school was a split session school. I went to school from 7AM to 12PM. A lot can happen in 5 hours.

I walked home with one of my friends. She wore a scarf (what I called it at the time, from the lack of knowing, what she called it when she was with her friends) on her head. Throughout our high school years, I watched that scarf come off in school often. Though her taking it off was out of rebellion for freedom in her own life, I wonder if sometimes if it was for the fear of being stereotyped as many people who held the beliefs of that cloth were. 

It never matter to me. A person is a person, except those who do evil deeds. Even with that belief, I do believe that even those who are evil are human. Something happened along the way that are beyond the average person. I feel sad that evil lived in those people who caused 9/11 and those who have ever committed evil acts and continue to do so. They will never know the goodness of the world.

My dad had went into the city that day. I was scared. When he finally called and said he was okay, I was so relieved. He wasn't near the devastation, it was just harder for him to get home. God Bless those who didn't make it home that day. God Bless those who did.

From Lefferts and Rockaway Blvds, you were able to see the slight image of Twin Towers. Now there is nothing. 

A month before 9/11, I was in the city. I walked by the Twin Towers for the first time. We didn't stop to look, but I kept looking up and turning back in awe of the buildings. If I only knew.

It is the morning of the ten year anniversary and I am watching the ceremony. Before today, I had no feelings about it one way or another.  Of course I have sadness, compassion, and remembrance. Of course the city is the last place I would go today and I'm staying away from subways. Anything else is game because you can't live in total fear. That's what the terrorists wanted, our complete fear. And I, for one, do not like to let the bad guys win. I will always have a slight one as we all do, but to break down into complete fear every 9/11 would be a dishonor to everyone who has died because of this.

In terms of being emotional, I wasn't until I sat down and watched the names being read. The names of strangers who loss their lives in such a senseless way has non-stop tears rolling down my face. Watching the faces of those who directly loss so much in the span of a couple of hours in one day makes my heart ache.

The saddest thing is to watch children trace the names of people they will never see again. Some of them never got to know those names in this living, breathing life. I can't stand it, it hurts to see people kiss the names of people they will never see again. It hurts that those names even have to be there.

I can't believe that my peers and friends were 15 and 14 ten years ago. We are now women and men, who grew up into adults in a post 9/11 world. We watched a war, seen economic downfall, been through our own insignificant problems. We have witness over tragedies, personal and beyond us. But we have also found love, made children, and tried to make a difference in our own lives and the lives of others. We wake up everyday, alive. The best thing we can do for the victims of 9/11 is to live life because they didn't get the chance to. To not waste our lives because as we saw ten years ago, it can all be over in a second.


In unrelated loss, I want to say I miss you and I love you to my Tio Raymond, whose 3 year anniversary was earlier in the week, to my grandmother Iris whose birthday would have been two days ago, and to each of my grandfathers, their anniversaries are coming up in October. Their deaths are the closest I can feel to the pain that the 9/11 families feel today. May God bless your souls and the souls of those loss ten years ago today.

A four-alarm fire broke out at an apartment building in the Prospect Heights section of Brooklyn early Saturday morning. The fire destroyed the building as well as damaged several buildings in the area. The apartment building of Mahogany L. Browne and Jive Poetic was one of them. The family is alright and is safely staying at a hotel, but the cost of staying at a hotel and replacing many of their possessions is beyond normal. They really need your help. I am asking my readers to considering helping out in anyway they can, whether it's donating through this donation page on PoetCD.com or sending contributions to Rachel McKibbens (rachelmckibbens@gmail.com) via PayPal who is accepting donations on their behalf. Physical donations of food, toiletries, clothing, etc. are also appreciated and you should contact them via their websites, social networking sites, etc. You can also help by buying books and CDs by Mahogany and Jive. And as always, a kind word, a message, or a prayer is a great way of showing love and support. I am sending much love and prayers their way, as well as a small donation on pay day.

Imagine being a 12-year-old girl. You are on the path of becoming a young woman right? You're in middle school, your body is changing, and things like romance, hanging out with friends and the future (as in high school and possibly what you want to be when you grow up) are constantly on your mind. That's all a 12-year-old girl should have to worry about. Everything else will fall into place as time goes on and you continue with school and learning the lessons of life. 

For example, 12-year-old me. Boys were always on my mind. I was in 7th grade. I was a smart kid so I was in the smart classes. I hung out with my friends in the pizzeria that was two doors away from me. I was always safe and even though I knew kids that experimented with things like smoking, drugs, liquor and sex, I wasn't doing that at 12. School kept me busy and I had adults in my life who were able to provide for my basic needs. Because I had something so simple, I was able to go on to do other things in my life. 

By 13, I was writing poetry. In high school, I was in an honors program, in the National Honors Society, and graduated 19th in my class. I went on to get an Associates in Music Production, usually being one of three or four girls in a classroom full of guys. After that, I got a Bachelors in Journalism. While finishing up school, I have been developing this blog and the website. My poetry has been published in literary magazines and websites. Whatever hardships I am going through now as an adult, I at least have an education and small accomplishments to back me up. No kids (not yet at least), in a normal, healthy relationship, and I am disease free. I'm about to turn 25.

But what if I had been a 12-year-old girl in another country and culture? What if I didn't have a family that could support my basic needs nor afford to send me to school? How would my life have turned out? Below is a video from the website, The Girl Effect. In this video, they give you a little insight on what can happen to a 12-year-old girl. Watch it, I promise it is definitely worth the three minutes.

As someone living in a country in a city or town where your 12-year-old girls are treated like 12-year-old girls, can you imagine that? But look at what can happen if you invest in her. I know that results of that shows in the United States everyday, where girls are given that chance to grow into healthy and productive women. SO imagine in a place where your every breath is a fight for survival. It means their whole lifetime. It means the lifetime of their children and the next generation after that.  Check out this video that lists some more stats on investing in a girl. 

And then I DARE YOU to look at this fact sheet from The Girl Effect.

Does some of that scare you? I know it scares me. Imagine if you were this mother and daugther in the next video.

According to the website, they do not know where she is now. Who knows what kind of life she is living as you read this. But it doesn't have to be this way. The Girl Effect helps spread awareness on how girls in other countries are living and how we can help them. There are stories from girls who made a difference in their lives, as well as their families and communities. Below are videos from Anita and Sanchita, young women who have done better for themselves and everyone else.

For the price of my cell phone bill (which I can barely afford), Sanchita got a cow which brought in extra income for her family. She became an asset. These girls became much more than what was expected of them. If you took the time to look at the videos and read the fact sheet, you see that their families and communities weren't expecting much. With a cause like The Girl Effect, girls around the world can help improve their lives and their communities. So what am I asking? Several things that lead to one thing: awareness.

Organizations like The Girl Effect cannot thrive without awareness. These girls cannot thrive without awareness. So spread awareness. Share this blog post with people on Facebook and Twitter. If you have your own blog, write your own blog post. Share the The Girl Effect (thegirleffect.org) link with anyone and everyone. Share the YouTube videos. Make a donation if you are financially able to. Hold a fundraiser or an auction. Create a group at your school about The Girl Effect. Just please do something. This is what this blog post is about. Spreading awareness and doing something. Help continue that.

I was once a 12-year-old girl. One day, I might have a 12-year-old girl. My friends will have 12-year-old girls in ten years or less. I know that we will do everything in our power for our girls. Can we please do something for someone else's 12-year-old girl?