Finished in November 2017

A Tribute To the Trade Center

By Zac Langridge

The two of you were an icon

Of engineering, of strength and financial prosperity
An icon of a city, that lasted over a quarter of a decade
An icon of tall towering structures, that dwarf the makers who unleashed the skyscraper on the Earth
And, during your short lives, you were unknowingly about to become a target, of the most horrific terrorist attack of modern times

However you were designed to withstand anything that could be thrown at you
New York needed an international World Trade Center, one which would be nothing like ever before
One which contained offices, departments, shopping malls, restaurants, and much more
One which could contain acres of construction, and 40,000 people arriving every day

So you were designed in the 60s, with thoughts of the future in minds
As your designers came with the iconic designs and plans, which made you recognizable
Two identical, steel, futuristic boxes that would be built in a new kind of fashion
A design that was meant to be innovative, unique, and totally strong

You rose in the 70s, and were both completed on separate years
But you were accepted as twins, as your facades of dizzying grid-like steel were hoisted to the top
Many construction and engineering feats accomplished, a continuous effort from thousands
On two huge constructions, situated right next to each other

When the North of you was completed, there was a half
And when the South was finished, you were a whole
A finished masterpiece, an enormous complex of six (soon to be seven) buildings, with you twins as the centerpiece
The tallest in the world, eclipsing your famous ancestor the Empire State by many meters

It was a dream come true, but not for all
You were criticized by many, as being “glass and metal filing cabinets”
The complex in which you sat was called “inhospitable”, an ugly, large, dense construction of modern times
You were bigger and uglier, uniform and bland, an eyesore for those with traditional taste

But I, along with many others, think differently
We marvel at your size, at your design, at the unique construction and aesthetics
We embrace you as a part of architecture and history, and look back at you with awe
We look at you fondly, brush off the critical backlash, and understand your visual identity more than ever before

Even those - like myself - who weren’t alive when you stood, recognize you immediately
The two familiar towers that dominated the already impressive skyline, are still a prominent feature in our minds
You were dark silhouettes at sun up and down, and shiny silver boxes during the day
Looking at Manhattan from many angles, you couldn’t be missed, always there, standing proud

Looking directly up from the ground, is dizzying, even in mere photos
The identical sides of you, reinforced facades of glass and steel rise like a tight unforgiving grid
Your windows are thin slits, to enforce a sense of security, and gifting you a unique, windowless appearance
Millions of tons of reflective construction, rising like two artificial cliffs, with a chasm between

Your design was simple, yet effective
Twin, rectangular, shiny silver buildings, spaced slightly apart from one another
Impressive and awe inspiring, dizzying and terrifying, triumphant and proud
It’s a hostile, futuristic design, plain and somewhat ugly….but yet it’s beautiful and graceful at the same time

A city within a city, giving workspace to those with a living, in 16 manmade acres of space
A home for those workers, arriving and leaving underground by subway, never having to step outside
You sheltered those workers from storms, fighting strong winds that battered you from side to side
Flexing you, and bending your steel, and allowing you both to sway, like gentle giants over the crowds

On September 10th, on the second year of a new era, you glistened in the night as usual, among the lit skyline
Artificial stars within two skyscrapers, within artificial stars within a city, within an island, within a river, within another city
Your tenants worked as usual in their offices, and left at varying times, leaving you to shine for one last time
The sun rose the next morning and your lights flickered off, and people began to arrive as usual

Within hours you will both be gone, and the world will have changed

And then I was born, less than a year after you fell, oblivious to the former existence of you
Unaware and unable to comprehend the tragedy, that came during the very time I was conceived
You see in the month before my life began, your last column was removed
Almost all physical remains of you, wiped from the Earth, only lingering on in memories and snapshots in time

Now as I’m writing this now, a new tower has risen in your place
A 21st century skyscraper, sleek and reflective and strong, designed to last
This building is beautiful and already iconic too, but it lacks your former charm and status
A hole that will never be entirely filled

And now I can only see you both in pictures and films, and admire what you were
I would’ve loved to have seen you beautiful buildings in person, but I was born too late
And can only picture your magnificence in my mind, based on snapshots taken in time
And although I never got to see you, and never will, my respect and awe for you, the original World Trade Center, is genuine and strong

Despite your end, and the tragic deaths of those thousands of people on 9/11, you will never be forgotten. And the famous image of the two, tall, Twin Towers on Manhattan island, will continue to live on in history and minds for a long time.