jpatterson@mariettatimes.com
In eight minutes and 46 seconds, fissures in the public American psyche ripped apart a facade this year.
I describe them as fissures because that’s my experience.
On March 11, 2011, I was a senior in high school in Misawa, Japan.
The 9.1-magnitude earthquake that afternoon lasted for approximately six minutes.
Vivid are the memories of those six minutes, they can still sweep through my consciousness like the tsunami which hit our shores.
The sound of the lockers rattling, threatening to rip off the walls.
The teacher’s eye contact and command that I remove the younger classes from the building, instruction to get them home safe.