100 Words - 55

I’m a NYer. I began volunteering at ground zero two days after the attack. Initially there was very little security. Two friends and I just walked down to the site and started helping. We ferried snacks and coffee from the Red Cross stations to the workers on the pile. The Pile. The 6 story high, still smoking, pile of rubble. Once security tightened I began working with the Red Cross. I remember sitting with a firefighter over coffee at 3am, he looked up and said, “I’m fucked up.” Normal human reaction, I said. I hope it helped him feel heard.

--from ISO the Golden Egg