Before (and After) the Poison

Today is the tenth anniversary of what has come to be known as "9/11" – the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States.

I remember once reading that Marianne Faithfull’s song “Before the Poison” was inspired in part by the shock of these attacks and how they changed things irrevocably for many people and communities. I share today this song from Faithfull’s 2004 album of the same name, along with links to various articles and reflections on 9/11 – ten years on.

I dedicated this post to everyone, everywhere, whose life has been irrevocably changed because of some traumatic event – the “poison out of nowhere” in Faithfull’s song.

. . . Before the poison
I'd lost my fear.
Maybe too happy,
to even care.
Safe in my dreams,
couldn't see the fall coming on,
coming from nowhere,
my name to call.

No more to say,
nothin's coming my way.
No you, no me,
no more, how can it be?
Nowhere to run,
out of nowhere, poison . . .

Recommended Off-site Links:
Ten Years Later, It’s Time to ‘Broaden the Context’ – David Sirota (TruthDig.com, September 8, 2011).
The Sad Legacy of September 11, 2001 – John R. MacArthur (The Ottawa Citizen, September 10, 2011).
Many Things to Mourn on September 11 – Steff Yorek (CommonDreams.org, September 10, 2011).
Why 9/11 Changed Nothing – Paul Harvey (Religion Dispatches, September 7, 2011).
Bin Laden’s Unintended Legacy – William Pfaff (TruthDig.com, September 6, 2011).
The Legacy of 9/11: An Institutionalization of Terror at Home and Abroad – Chip Pitts (CommonDreams.org, September 10, 2011).
9/11: Al Qaeda's Project for Ending the American Century Succeeded – Jim Lobe (CommonDreams.org, September 9, 2011).
A Dark Decade for Civil Rights and Liberties – Kanya D'Almeida (Inter Press Service, September 9, 2011).
9/11 and the Imperial Mentality – Noam Chomsky (Reader Supported News, September 6, 2011).
Imperial Delusions: Ignoring the Lessons of 9/11 – Robert Jensen (CommonDreams.org, September 9, 2011).
The Legacy of 9/11 and the War on Intellectuals – Stephen Zunes (TruthOut.org, September 10, 2011).
A Pie for Peace: Tenth Anniversary of 9/11 Chance to Reflect, Bake and Resist – Frida Berrigan (WagingNonviolence.org, September 9, 2011).
Unexpected Legacy Left by Gay Hero of Flight 93 – Yahoo! News (September 2, 2011).
Fallen 9/11 Priest Emerges as An Icon for Gay Catholics – Daniel Burke (Religion News Service via The Progressive Catholic Voice, September 1, 2011).
Chile: The Other '9/11' – Tony Saunois (SocialistWorld.net, September 10, 2011).

See also the previous Wild Reed posts:
• In Mychal Judge’s Heart “There Was Room for Everyone”
• Karen Armstrong on the 9/11 Attacks: A “Flagrant and Wicked Abuse of Religion”
• Rebecca Solnit on How 9/11 Should Be Remembered
• 9/11: Seven Years On
• Remembering September 11 and Its Aftermath
• Let’s Also Honor the ‘Expendables’