Soldier's Reveries - A poem by THE POET

Soldier's Reveries.

The stars and the stripes I so cherish
That flag of the brave and the free;
That though for its safety I must perish,
My life I would sacrifice for thee:

Spake a soldier, his heart o'erflowing
With admiration, and love for its pride;
The flush of manhood brightly glowing,
While his idol he proudly eyed.

Oh, the glory of that waving parcel,
The sunlight of heaven's reflected array;
The zephyrs of ocean your folds kindly fondle,
Bright phatus of aerial beauty your colors portray.

Yes, I glory in its chivalric beauty,
Chivalry that never will lag,
And in submission to chivalric duty
Permit me, O God, to carry our flag.

When with war's dark clouds o'ershadowed,
Our spirits though destined to wag,
In reflection of honor yet remembered,
Permit me, O God, to mention our flag.

When peace its broad wings of prosperity
Shall from ocean to ocean its hosts entag;
Then, as in the days of our minority,
Permit me, O God, to reverence our flag.

^__James Wilkinson, Seneca.

Poets and Poetry of Kansas
Edited by Thomas W. Herringshaw
(Chicago: American Publishers' Association. 1894)
Page 311