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There are no prescribed rituals for mourning thousands of people. We invented them as we went along. With a couple of candles and a bunch of flowers we transformed ordinary sidewalks and street corners into sacred spaces. Here friends, family, or passersby could pause to pray, reflect on the tragedy, and leave whatever offerings they deemed appropriate. Visitors left messages addressed to the dead with the shared belief that words, in this newly consecrated space, would somehow find their way.

Grief took many forms, from simple and personal shrines for individuals to a gigantic shrine in Union Square dedicated to all. Expressing sorrow or hope, many people created small works of art from whatever markers, crayons, or colored paper and glue they had at hand. Students from all over the world sent cards and banners.

The shrines blended different traditions, both sacred and secular. Saints sat beside carefully selected Beanie Babies. Dotty the Dalmatian, Fleecie the Lamb, and Glory the Patriotic Bear were oddly comforting nestled among candles beside the Virgin of Guadalupe. All offerings were welcome and the resulting installations became intricate creations of communal art, enabling each of us to mourn in our own way in a shared space.

Reprinted from Voices 27. 3–4 (Fall–Winter 2001): 8–9, in remembrance of the recent anniversary.

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