On that day
They weren’t just stairs.
They were
The Path of Least Resistance
taken by humanity
fleeing the unthinkable. They were
      the next place to move through
      on the way to somewhere better.
      On that day
      they weren’t a stretch or a work out  
      or obstacle but
      they were The Way to go On.
               The ash, the terror, the fear did stain
               but over and on top of that
               holding hands with those same molecules
               The passion, the caring, the will for Life
               the courage, the bravery
               amid the havoc and confusion
                       The “can I help you?”
                       that brings life through tragedy.
                       No commerce, no hierarchy, just
                       life fiercely clinging to life
                       No saints or sinners on the ground that day
                        only angels, fragile angels everywhere.
                              That is the day we could have
                              joined the World.
                              The day we could all say,
                              “So this is what you’ve been living through.
                               My ignorance is shattered now. Let us
                                       join hand in hand the family of man.
                                       I am
                                       my brother’s keeper, and             
                                       my sister’s helper, too.
                                       No nations but one people under
                                       God/Allah/Yahweh/Buddha.
                                                        Amen.
                  There are those with other stories
                  of then and what and who
                  But for now
                  in these stairs
                  stained with all we are
                  this short stretch of the
                  stairway to salvation made concrete
                  May we all rest in peace                  
                  of who we really are.                                                                                      Amen.

My cousin was one of the many unseen people who worked to save these stairs that so many friends had used one that day in September so many years ago. Here's a little video about their efforts. 

http://blogs.nationaltrust.org/preservationnation/?p=8349

This is a thumbnail of the "plaque" or framed version that I gave my cousin and the folks in here office in the MTA that helped save the stairs.