9/11/2001
By Johana Smith 

     There are certain events that mark the lives of the entire world. The tragedy of Sept. 11, 2001 is one such event. From little children to nursing-home residents, the images of the planes flying into the Twin Towers in New York City are indelibly etched on our minds. It is like the day JFK was assassinated; we all know exactly what we were doing when we heard the shocking news.

     Johana Smith, in her book 9/11/2001, manages to paint pictures that are so graphic that many things from our past spring to the forefront of our minds. The beginning, with an extremely emotional poem remembering 9/11/2001 takes a major incident and reminds us of the price that was paid by so many people—so senselessly. Then she turns to such mundane every-day normalcies as the various tenses of our lives or a morning or a little dog and makes them seem just as memorable.

     The book is divided into the following sections: September 11, 2001; Love and Fear; Nature; Family; Friends; Humor; Sarcasm; Marie-Antoinette; Short Stories; Australia; Deception; and Special Tribute to a Champion.

      The entries are short enough to read several while you sit with your morning cup of coffee, and they are a great way to appreciate the beginning of a new day. Ms. Smith shows a great deal of talent and will be a name to watch in the future.

     I will leave you with a part of the poem, How Can I Tell You, which is in the section on Sarcasm.

“You do not seem to understand
The numerous e-mails
I did send.
So, I thought,
And without haste,
Decided I would tell you
in Verses!
———————
“For more than 60 Days,
Like a Yoyo,
With me did play,
One minute
I’m not eating enough,
The next,
I’ve got too much on my plate!
You juggle with the Calories,
Without any result I can see.”