http://members4.clubphoto.com/hayley318995/531529/guest.phtml
A lil essay..I wrote up just now. The photo I refer to is the first photo.
Perhaps for me the most important part of healing after sept 11th. Took place in an strange place, in a strange way. I had left my house that day for Hamilton Ontario to see u2. I had been nervous about crossing the border in such tense times. I'm of Indian descent, and I knew I'd go through quite good inspection at the border. I had tried to obtain an American flag that day at a few stores before I left. No store had them, they were sold out. I don't even know why I wanted to take one to the show. It was in Canada for one, and number two, there was no guarantee of a result. I've never seen the band acknowledge anything but irish flags at shows. I had given up on my search for a flag, and was getting ready to leave. And while walking out, I saw it. Hanging from the standard on my house, waving in the October breeze, as if in defiance of not only the events in the world, but the very breeze that had caught it. I took it down, and folded it in the proper fashion and placed in the passenger seat of my car.
Heavy traffic at teh border due to inspections, I waited it out patiently, struggling with the radio to keep music on and the news off. I arrived at the US checkpoint before the border.
"Citizenship?"
"American"
" Do you have a passport?" He said almost doubtful that I would produce one. I retrieved it from my glove compartment, and showed it to him.
" Can I see your drivers liscence sir?" I reached for my wallet and was about to take out my liscence when he reached in and took it from my hand. And rifled through it as if it was a cracklords apartment. He tossed it to me brusquely. He pointed to the backseat of my car.
" Sir is that your bag in the back"
"yes"
"can you step out of you vehicle and hand it to me?"
"Uhh..I guess" About to step out he interjected for me to turn my engine off. I complied and handed him my bag. Which he promptly unzipped, and dumped out on the sidewalk with me standing there and every one looking at me. He looked at the contents and almost dissapointed motioned me Along
" Pick it up toss it in the bag and move along". Canadian customs was far more relaxed and at last, I was in canada.
I had ended up at the tip of the heart with my flag. And it was during Sunday bloody sunday when he walked up to the tip of the heart after stopping a fan from an irish flag from throwing it at him with the remark " I have a better idea". He then moved from teh back of the stage to the flag he had eyed before. And took it from me, embracing it. I can never forget. Taking the frief of my nation to the concert with me that day. That moment is etched in my memory just as that photo is etched on your screen. It was a watershed moment. No longer in my mind was September 11th an American issue, it was an issue of all the free peoples of the world. My hero, took the flag from me, he shared the grief that I had felt the grief that America felt and reproduced this event at many shows. I'm glad I that not only did that moment exist for me, but for all of us that attended third leg shows. The humilaition at the border, the pain of September 11th, the times we lived in all exist in one moment for me. A moment that thanks to this photo, I can share with all of you who weren't at the show that night.
Arun
PS hayley..that photo means so much to me..I can never thank you enough
A lil essay..I wrote up just now. The photo I refer to is the first photo.
Perhaps for me the most important part of healing after sept 11th. Took place in an strange place, in a strange way. I had left my house that day for Hamilton Ontario to see u2. I had been nervous about crossing the border in such tense times. I'm of Indian descent, and I knew I'd go through quite good inspection at the border. I had tried to obtain an American flag that day at a few stores before I left. No store had them, they were sold out. I don't even know why I wanted to take one to the show. It was in Canada for one, and number two, there was no guarantee of a result. I've never seen the band acknowledge anything but irish flags at shows. I had given up on my search for a flag, and was getting ready to leave. And while walking out, I saw it. Hanging from the standard on my house, waving in the October breeze, as if in defiance of not only the events in the world, but the very breeze that had caught it. I took it down, and folded it in the proper fashion and placed in the passenger seat of my car.
Heavy traffic at teh border due to inspections, I waited it out patiently, struggling with the radio to keep music on and the news off. I arrived at the US checkpoint before the border.
"Citizenship?"
"American"
" Do you have a passport?" He said almost doubtful that I would produce one. I retrieved it from my glove compartment, and showed it to him.
" Can I see your drivers liscence sir?" I reached for my wallet and was about to take out my liscence when he reached in and took it from my hand. And rifled through it as if it was a cracklords apartment. He tossed it to me brusquely. He pointed to the backseat of my car.
" Sir is that your bag in the back"
"yes"
"can you step out of you vehicle and hand it to me?"
"Uhh..I guess" About to step out he interjected for me to turn my engine off. I complied and handed him my bag. Which he promptly unzipped, and dumped out on the sidewalk with me standing there and every one looking at me. He looked at the contents and almost dissapointed motioned me Along
" Pick it up toss it in the bag and move along". Canadian customs was far more relaxed and at last, I was in canada.
I had ended up at the tip of the heart with my flag. And it was during Sunday bloody sunday when he walked up to the tip of the heart after stopping a fan from an irish flag from throwing it at him with the remark " I have a better idea". He then moved from teh back of the stage to the flag he had eyed before. And took it from me, embracing it. I can never forget. Taking the frief of my nation to the concert with me that day. That moment is etched in my memory just as that photo is etched on your screen. It was a watershed moment. No longer in my mind was September 11th an American issue, it was an issue of all the free peoples of the world. My hero, took the flag from me, he shared the grief that I had felt the grief that America felt and reproduced this event at many shows. I'm glad I that not only did that moment exist for me, but for all of us that attended third leg shows. The humilaition at the border, the pain of September 11th, the times we lived in all exist in one moment for me. A moment that thanks to this photo, I can share with all of you who weren't at the show that night.
Arun
PS hayley..that photo means so much to me..I can never thank you enough
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