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 A POEM FOR FLAG DAY (June 14)

This Is Why I Cry
By Joan Rowden Hart
I’m often asked why tears fall from my eyes
When I see our flag flying high
Let me tell you today, please hear what I say
So you will know why I cry.
That piece of cloth means so very much more
Than just the colors you see
And there’s a story in that glory
Of how our flag came to be.
There is purity in the white of that flag
And valor flows from the red
The blue means eternal vigilance
And justice to honor the dead
I cry for the pride that I feel deep inside
For those who have given their all
I cry for the wounded whose lives are now changed
Because they answered that call
They were called to fight evil that threatens our freedom
Called to defend family and home
They were called to serve country and honor their God
On the land, in the air, o’er the foam.
I cry when the Star Spangled banner is played
When the roll call of veterans is read
My tears make their way through God Bless America
And when the Pledge of Allegiance is said.
I cry ‘cause I’m blessed to live free in a land
So blessed with abundance held dear
While others were willing to pay the high price
I can live out my life without fear
My grateful heart sings through the tears that I shed
I can worship in freedom and pray
I cry when my family is gathered around
The full table on Thanksgiving day
I know that these blessings came at great cost
They didn’t just fall from the sky
They were purchased by others at great sacrifice
And that is the reason I cry.
©Joan Rowden Hart 2017




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