By BROOKE GOLDMAN

LAPLACE – Carrie Connell, manager of Jack’s Beverage No. 3, expressed her feelings about the Sept. 11 terrorist acts in a poem titled “God Bless A Nation.”

The Towers were high, the sky was clear

People hustle to work without any fear

Then suddenly in moments, the laughter to tears

Balls of fire and debris fell from windows,

People running everywhere.

Planes turned to missiles to weaken our strength

News, cameras and coverage running at length

Fireman, Policeman become rescuers and friends

For the lives of so many had come to an end.

The nation cries for help as life stands weeping

the enemy is wrong for this nation is not sleeping

We were down for some moments, but are back in force

We will collect our belongings and be right back on course.

For all those, whose lives have been lost

Our country will fight the enemy for you and spare no cost

This is a great nation and unity will prevail

With our power and strength this to we will hail.

Our heads we hold high and our banner we will wave

through Red, White and Blue

Our country we will save

Make no mistake we are a nation of the best

With our prayer and our strength may God Bless!

Connell has several nephews in the United States military, one in an intelligence division stationed in South Korea. She was at home watching the news when she learned of the events and worried that her nephews would eventually be involved in the retaliation.

“I was upset as most people were and I knew it wasn’t an accident,” said Connell. “I don’t think anyone realized how many people were affected.

“I keep a flag outside both of my homes because we have the freedom to do so in the U.S.”

She went to work as usual and wrote the poem there. Connell also writes music so it is not uncommon for her to express her emotions in this manner.

“This was my way of expressing how I felt at the time,” said Connell. “The spirit of the country will be much more forceful because they wanted to weaken the country and the economy.”