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Kristin Mitsu Shiga Shag Shaggy Chug P.O. Box 83191 Portland, OR 97283 tel: 503.329.2352 fax: 503.286.8679 Write to us 
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© Copyright 2001 Kristin Mitsu Shiga All Rights Reserved |
| September 11, 2001 |
After the events of September 11, 2001, I, like so many people, was emotionally paralyzed. The only thing that seemed to help me get through it was making something. . .
8"L x 1"W x 3/4"D
Fabricated, Oxidized Sterling Silver, Piano Key Ivory Scrimshaw, Ebony
photo: C. Frisse
STATEMENT:
I have friends in their thirties who still refer to the town they grew up in as “home.” When I left “home,” it was as deliberate an act as can be defined. I’ve never regretted it.
Imagine, if you will, returning to your hometown to see one of its greatest landmarks obliterated. Imagine returning to Portland, and Mount Hood being gone.
I am from New York City. Once a year, I make a difficult pilgrimage back there to see my family and friends for the holidays. This year, it will be different.
Being three thousand miles away from the people I care about during a time of such fear and so many questions has been unspeakably trying. I’ve tried to explain it to my new friends out here, but, although they try to understand, their sympathy somehow falls short.
We New Yorkers have a special kind of pride. We’re tougher than you. We know the subways. We’re from The City. Before this happened, I never realized how much I still identified myself with that place, and all its symbols. It’s as though I’m some expatriate, and my country has been bombed. I’m only beginning to understand the strange mix of guilt, anger, fear and pride that I’ve been feeling since September 11th. I imagine we all are.
Although I commuted past them for years, I never made it to the top of the Twin Towers. In fact, I’ve never been to any of New York City‘s landmarks. This year, when I go home for the holidays, I’m going to see them all.
(back, detail)
photo: C. Frisse
In other words. . .
The following words are lyrics Ani DiFranco started reciting at her perform- ances shortly after the disaster. They now are part of a soul-stirring song called "Self Evident," which appears on her 2003 album, "Evolve." Her words regarding this event are characteristically comforting, unsettling, and most of all, insightful. The first verse goes like this:
yes,
us people are just poems
we're 90% metaphor
with a leanness of meaning
bordering on hyper-distillation
and once upon a time we were moonshine
rushing down the throat of a giraffe
yes, rushing down the long hallway
despite what the p.a. announcement says
yes, rushing down the long stairs
with the whiskey of eternity fermented and distilled
to eighteen minutes
burning down our throats
down the hall
down the stairs
in a building so tall
that it will always be there
yes, it's part of a pair
there on the bow of noah's ark
the most prestigious couple
just kickin back parked
against a perfectly blue sky
on a morning beatific
in its indian summer breeze
on the day that america
fell to its knees
after strutting around for a century
without saying thank you
or please. . .
To read the rest of the lyrics of "Self Evident," and find out more about my favorite funky-folk Diva, Ani DiFranco, click on the Righteous Babe, below.
