Death in America, an ode to siblings

Title

Death in America, an ode to siblings

Description

Monday, April 16, 2007

It was a crisp, clear, bright autumn day, the kind of day you drink in with every essence of your being. I was sleepy, woken early by my parents for the drive from Nashville to Blacksburg. But I was excited. Not only were we attending a Virginia Tech football game, I was going to see my brother, a student at VT and horn player in the marching band. The campus was quiet, beautiful, almost idyllic, and I was overwhelmed by my first views of college life.

My brother attended Virginia Tech in the mid-80's and graduated with a degree in nuclear engineering. His devotion to his alma mater has continued, as an alumnus and frequently attending football games. It isn't surprising, the mood of the campus that day was intoxicating, and had I showed any inclination towards engineering, science or mathematics, I might have returned there for my own college education. Blacksburg itself was a village filled with charm and friendly people, hip hangouts and the best record store I had ever been in.

I am <a href="http://news.ert.gr/en/4/24574.asp">grieving</a> the <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6560685.stm">shootings at Virginia Tech</a>, the shots that rang out across the peaceful campus, killing many, wounding others, and deafening the ears of college students that today learned one of the hardest lessons life can teach. I mourn the deaths with the families, friends, and teachers, and wish them all peace in the days and months ahead. But mostly I mourn for the siblings who, unlike me, will never again have the joy of seeing their brother or sister on campus after a sleepy drive through the fog laden mountains to that small college town that has lost so much today.

posted by melusina at 9:15 PM

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Original Source: <a href="http://litochoro.blogspot.com/2007/04/death-in-america-ode-to-siblings.html">http://litochoro.blogspot.com/2007/04/death-in-america-ode-to-siblings.html</a>

Licensed under <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/2.5/">Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 2.5</a>.

Creator

Melusina

Date

2007-05-27

Contributor

Brent Jesiek

Rights

Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 2.5

Language

eng

Citation

Melusina, “Death in America, an ode to siblings,” The April 16 Archive, accessed November 21, 2024, https://april16archive.org/items/show/271.