Letter from Lindsay Ferraro: [Back]

My terrible day, 9/11

Editor's note: Lindsay Ferraro, 12, a seventh grader at Marshall Middle School in Billerica, was in sixth grade there on Sept. 11 of last year. She wrote the poem that follows her story two days later.

Everything had started right, but my whole life changed on this tragic day. For once, I would understand how important life is, and how sad it is when you lose a friend or loved one. My terrible day happened last year, on Sept. 11. I had a dream the night before, that something bad would happen, but I ignored it until third period. That day, we were sitting in class when all the teachers gathered in the hall. I heard a teacher say something about two buildings and terrorism. About two minutes later, my whole life and school year changed. Mrs. Szetela, my sixth-grade English teacher, came in. He told us "I don't know how to explain this, or what the reasoning for this is, but the World Trade Center towers were purposely crashed into by two hijacked planes." We sat there, stunned, not knowing how to react. I started thinking as the class started talking. I thought about how so many people had died. I thought, "was someone I know on a plane today?" I told myself no and returned to the class talk. There was an interruption on the loud speaker when Mr. Maguire, my now retired principal, came on and called for a minute of silence for our friends in New York. Tears welled up in my eyes. I didn't know how to express my feelings; I was angry, sad, and desperate to know the whole story. Mr. Maguire came back on and told us that NO planes were to fly in the air. In our 4th period class, Mr. Severo had the radio on. We heard screaming, swearing, and then something worse: "Folks, the second tower has just collapsed. This is the worst terrorist attack ever." I really needed to do something before I cried. I never really cried, just a couple of tears. On the bus, I was solemn, sad and gloomy. Devone and I heard something as we got off the bus. We looked up and ran for our lives. We saw a plane! Her mother explained that it was probably a military plane. My day wasn't even close to over. I got home and started to tell my aupair, when I realized Dad was home. Since he works for the state, he had been told to come home. We sat on the couch and watched the news for hours. Then Mom came home. Later that night, we received a phone call. One of mom's really close friends, with her family, was on the plane that hit the second tower. Mom was really good friends with that family: Peter Hanson, his wife, Susan, and their 3-year-old daughter. They went to Heaven together, mom told me. I climbed up next to her and cried. My brother, Joey, climbed up and told us NOT to talk about it. My mom had tears in her eyes, and couldn't help but cry. I understood her, and hugged her, and finally went to bed. I have changed my life because of Sept. 11. I have expressed my feelings through poetry, singing, and dancing (though I sing bad, I love to sing). I know I'm not the only one who had this kind of day, and I know I will have bad days in the future, but this one was by far the worst day ever!

Hatred Was Found
Tuesday was sadness,
An act of hate,
A sad despair,
The imperfect trait,
The plane was flying,
The passengers screaming,
The hijackers circled and wound around,
Then a man called and told what was
Happening, but it was too lateÉ
Hatred Was Found.

They swooped down and
Hit the World Trade Center.
The second one down.
The passengers gone because
Hatred Was Found

Not many made it.
Only some survived.
They flew and died
Those hijackers,
Hatred Was Found

Several died
The pentagon also affected.
Both World Trade Centers down;
I never experienced looking at them.
Now people are dead.

Sad as it is,
many looked up to those who died.
Those who died.
My heart and thoughts go to them.
Goodbye our friends,
The Americans,
Worse than Pearl Harbor,
Our country is under a terrorist attack
That will NEVER be forgotten.

LINDSAY FERRARO
GOD BLESS AMERICA!