A poem for the heroes, survivors

(Editor’s note: Because of a Valley Record error, a line was left out of the the following poem, written in the aftermath of the attacks on America, by Stephanie Willhight, a Two Rivers Alternative School student. Here is the poem in its entirety.)

911

They ran through the wreckage

And fallen debris

Through the streets of Manhattan

Though they barely could see.

The ash in the air

Was thicker than smoke.

It rained down from the sky

And made people choke.

The fallen buildings were still

Being eaten by flames

Where they had been hit

by those hijacked planes.

But people began hunting

For survivors within,

While those trapped inside

Prayed for daylight again.

People tore through the rubble

For our brothers and sons

for our mothers, our fathers,

And all our loved ones.

Those terrorists thought

They’d tear us apart

Didn’t know the U.S.

Had such a strong heart.

We all came together,

Civilians, Red Cross,

The whole nation helped

With New York in our thoughts.

So here’s to our country

and the people that died,

And those many brave souls

Who helped those that survived.

Stephanie Willhight

Snoqualmie