Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, SHALL WE FORGET?, by ESTELLE MAY HURLL


Poetry Explorer

Classic and Contemporary Poetry

SHALL WE FORGET?, by                    
First Line: Shall we forget, now victory has come
Last Line: Shall we forget to pray?
Subject(s): Wellesley College; World War I; First World War


SHALL we forget, now victory has come,
How frugally we gathered up each crumb
In days of wartime need, with anxious care
That all our armies overseas should share
The harvests of the land? Shall we make haste
To take again the senseless ways of waste?
When peace brings back the plenty which we crave,
Shall we forget to save?

Shall we forget, now war is at an end,
How lavishly and well we learned to spend
In days of constant patriotic call,
To use our treasure for the good of all?
Shall we return to selfishness and greed,
Regardless of humanity's great need?
When peace has made it good to live,
Shall we forget to give?

Shall we forget, now peace has been restored,
How fervently we used to seek the Lord
Through all the days of danger and distress,
Imploring Him to succor and to bless?
Shall we fall back to careless ways of old,
Unmindful of the Love which doth enfold?
When peace, sweet peace, has come to stay,
Shall we forget to pray?





Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!


Other Poems of Interest...
Home: PoetryExplorer.net