Veterans Poem

1. Veteran's
   Poet: C. C. Hassler
   
   On the veteran's honored brow.
   God keep them long amid home and friends,
   And may their declining years
   Be warmed by the sunshine of love and care
   That will banish all pain and tears.
   
   Where are the Old Grand Army Boys?
   Will be asked in the years to come;
   When no column of blue will again be seen,
   To follow the fife and drum.
   But the answer borne on the breezes soft;
   Will whisper, in requiem low;
   They are gone, but the nation lives for which
   They fought, in long years ago.
   And the old flag waves o'er a people proud,
   And the memories keep alive;
   The deeds of valor that crown the boys.
   Of sixty-one to sixty-five.
   
   And the generation yet unborn.
   Will whisper the name with pride
   As they point to the silent graves of those,
   Who for freedom once fought and died;
   Not, the freedom that boasts of the men who stood
   And defied our nation's laws.
   And with bloody hands for four long years,
   Fought to uphold a traitor's cause;
   But to the loyal men such as we revere,
   Men to flag and nation true.
   Whose last breath prayed for a Union saved,
   Neath the Glorious Red, White and Blue.






"Our thanks to our veterans for their dedication,
bravery, and their willingness to protect all of us."



Thank You Veteran Poems



2. A Debt of Gratitude
   Poet: Catherine Pulsifer
   
   We can never feel what they felt
   With guns in their hands as they knelt
   They lived the horrors of war
   So all would have peace once more.
   
   We can only imagine the feelings they had
   Fighting for freedom, many a young lad
   We owe them so much, we owe them an honor
   As fighting in a war is the worse kind of  monster.
   
   So may we never forget, and teach our children too
   The debt of gratitude to those who fought, for me and you
   Lest we forget, we never will
   The men and women who fought and those who were killed.
   
   We stop, we remember, and we give thanks
   For men and women in the ranks
   A debt of gratitude we owe
   May it always show.




Gratitude Poems



3. In Flanders Fields
   by John McCrae
   
   In Flanders fields the poppies blow
   Between the crosses, row on row,
   That mark our place; and in the sky
   The larks, still bravely singing, fly
   Scarce heard amid the guns below.
   
   We are the Dead. Short days ago
   We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
   Loved and were loved, and now we lie,
   In Flanders fields.
   
   Take up our quarrel with the foe:
   To you from failing hands we throw
   The torch; be yours to hold it high.
   If ye break faith with us who die
   We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
   In Flanders fields.



We wear the blood red poppy, the pipes play the lament,
We pause for just a moment, the message has been sent:
"Lest we forget," it beckons, lest we have fought in vain,
Remember! Oh, Remember! Lest we face war again!"
Greta Zwaan



4. Our Comrades Gone, But Not Forgotten
   Poet: C. C. Hassler
   
   While pray'rs ascend and tears are shed,
   And nations pay to honored dead.
   Their tributes to his fame.
   We'll weave our roses in a crown
   And lay them sadly, gently down,
   A wreath of immortelles to live,
   And fadeless, in all ages give.
   Bright lustre to his name.
   
   Where mountain peaks blend northern skies,
   Or where 'neath southlands balmy skies
   The sweet magnolias bloom;
   In all the land each loyal heart
   Will share a patriot's loving part.
   And joined in tears as one will lay
   Our gift — a Nation's Love — today
   Upon his silent tomb.
   
   Farewell — old loyal comrade — when
   The perfume of sweet flowers again
   Bright spring-times breezes swell;
   We'll think of thee with reverent thought,
   And bless the work thy hands have wrought.
   Farewell, God's will, not ours, be done,
   Life's battles o'er, the victory won.
   Farewell — a last Farewell.




Appreciation Poems



5. Memorial Day
   Poet: Lillian E. Curtis
   
   Blessed day, singled from the rest,
   By memory's pure test,
   To wreathe the soldier's graves!
   Strew floral gifts where they lie.
   For surely God's eye
   Looks down upon you who kindly and true
   Remember your country's braves;
   May Memory's laurels fondly enclose
   Graves where the lov'd ones calmly repose:
   On this beauteous sunny soil,
   Where many a Southern gem doth coil
   Round that fair memorial spot, the noble soldier's burying lot.
   Where the Southern sunbeams shine.
   You, these floral tokens twine:
   Wreathe with a tender thought and with a tear.
   The graves of those so loved and dear.




6. Remembering
   Poet: Caleb Davis Bradlee
   
   Of dear ones true we sing,
   Who died our peace to bring,
   And save the land!
   Land to our souls most dear.
   Land freed from pride and fear,
   Unto all hearts so near,
   By God's command.
   
   We praise, this day, the brave
   Who did the union save,
   And give us light!
   We like their names to tell,
   Names that we love so well,
   That leave a holy spell,
   Quite sweet and bright.
   
   We spread abroad our song,
   As memories round us throng
   Of those we love!
   Those who gave up their life,
   And mingled in the strife,
   And were in courage rife,
   Now gone above.
   
   God, our loved ones keep,
   Whilst we on earth do weep,
   And miss their face!
   Keep them in glory sound,
   Keep them on holy ground,
   Let all the angels round
   Thy mercy trace.




Christian Poems



7. The Farewell
   Poet: Ella Wheeler Wilcox
   
   'Tis not the untried soldier new to danger
   Who fears to enter into active strife.
   Amidst the roll of drums, the cannon's rattle,
   He craves adventure, and thinks not of life.
   
   But the scarred veteran knows the price of glory,
   He does not court the conflict or the fray.
   He has no longing to rehearse that gory
   And most dramatic act, of war's dark play.
   
   He who to love has always been a stranger,
   All unafraid may linger in your spell.
   My heart has known the warfare, and its danger.
   It craves no repetition — so farewell.




8. Victorious
   Poet: Ralph Waldo Emerson
   
   Stainless soldier on the walls,
   Knowing this — and knows no more:
   Whoever fights, whoever falls,
   Justice conquers evermore;
   And he who battles on her side,
   God, though he were ten times slain.
   Crowns him victor glorified, -
   Victor over death and pain
   Forever.




Poems about Peace



9. Never Take For Granted
   Poet: Catherine Pulsifer
   
   Never take our Veterans for granted still,
   Ignoring their sacrifices here;
   Let us remember them with will
   And hold gratitude through the years.
   
   Their courage and bravery should not go unnoticed;
   Many gave their lives to protect;
   So may we never take freedoms granted
   But thank veterans with love and respect.




Respect Poems



10. Memorial Day
    Poet: Frank Earl Herrick
    
    Old soldiers, over thee
    The flag is floating free
    And full of stars;
    Proud of the noble band
    That gave it to our land,
    Preserved by valor's hand
    And battle scars!
    
    In smoke and flame it flew
    Above the hosts of blue
    On fields of war;
    Through treason's iron rain
    You bore it without stain
    Upon the crimson plain
    In days of yore!
    
    Your heads are whitened now
    And time upon your brow
    Has left its trace,
    And slower now your tread
    Than when the charge was led
    And Freedom's foemen fled
    Before your face!
    
    Yet in your matchless eye
    As the thinned lines go by
    We see the gleam
    And spirit as of old
    When clouds of conflict rolled
    To keep the starry fold
    Without a seam!
    
    In gratitude and love
    Pure as the stars above
    This day we keep
    For men the world reveres,
    For those who live, our cheers.
    And a great nation's tears
    For those who sleep!




11. Peace Reformers
    Poet: David V. Bush
    
    Each great reform must have its men,
    Those who have strength and mighty power;
    No weakling ever led the ranks,
    When hard the way and dark the hour.
    
    We honor men and applaud them, too,
    Who bear the thickest of the brunt,
    The ones with souls and courage strong
    Aye, strong enough to bear the blunt.
    
    To those who brave the storm and stress
    Advance reforms no matter what
    The world owes all her song and praise,
    But sometimes they are soon forgot.
    
    Let us not cease to do our best,
    No matter what the price or cost,
    When duty calls or times demand,
    Atho' our noble cause is lost.
    
    It may be lost in our short day,
    But if the cause be just and right,
    Long after we are mouldering dead,
    The doubly blind shall have their sight.
    
    Be not dismayed who lead the ranks,
    Tho' rough and stormy be the way,
    If ye are cursed and oft misjudged,
    Your cause shall surely win some day.