I remember, I remember!

There’s a graveyard near the White House
     Where the Unknown Soldier lies,
And the flowers there are sprinkled
     With the tears from mother’s eyes.

I stood there not so long ago
     With roses for the brave,
And suddenly I heard a voice
     Speak from out the grave:

“I am the Unknown Soldier,”
     The spirit voice began,
“And I think I have the right
     To ask some questions man to man.

“Are my buddies taken care of?
     Was their victory so sweet?
Is that big reward you offered
     Selling pencils on the street?

“Did they really win the freedom
     They battled to achieve?
Do you still respect that Croix de Guerre
     Above that empty sleeve?

“Does a gold star in the window
     Now mean anything at all?
I wonder how my old girl feels
     When she hears a bugle call.

“And that baby who sang
     ‘Hello, Central give me no man’s land’--
Can they replace her daddy
     With a military band?

“I wonder if the profiteers
     Have satisfied their greed?
I wonder if a soldier’s mother
     Ever is in need?

“I wonder if the kings, who planned it all
     Are really satisfied?
They played their game of checkers
     And eleven million died.

“I am the Unknown Soldier
     And maybe I died in vain,
But if I were alive and my country called
     I’d do it all over again.”

--Billy Rose, The Unknown Soldier

God Bless America, Land that I love.

Happy Independence Day!

--L.T. Elliot