From some years ago

And Crown Thy Good

We stood for the songs
And waved the banners
And voted in the elections
And fought the wars
And paid the taxes
And raised our children
And retired
And died
So our children could stand for the songs
And wave the banners
And …

(1973 cynical college student)

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Flaming Tongues from Above

“Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen, and called its name Ebenezer (Stone of Help), saying, ‘Thus far the Lord has helped us.’” – 1 Samuel 7:12.

As a monument we raised you
For ourselves,
For those who loved you,
For those who never knew you.

Raise we now our Ebenezer,
That others might never forget.

As the tales of war are numbered,
So are the ways of death.
Some there are who ease into death,
Slide into the darkness
That some day will become light.
Others rage, battle the angel
Who comes for them.
Some of us
Have seen the angel,
Met him face to face.
We refused to shake his hand.
We had a choice.

The screams of those who feared,
The curses of those who raged …
One voice,
A shout, yet a whisper,
That tickles our ears,
Sears our souls,
Reminds us of who you were,
Who we will be,
One day.