Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, IN ARLINGTON, by EDNA MEAD


Poetry Explorer

Classic and Contemporary Poetry

IN ARLINGTON, by                    
First Line: Does he lie gladly in the earth of home
Last Line: Of honor and its wearer yesterday.
Subject(s): Arlington National Cemetery; Death; Military; Soldiers; War; Dead, The


Does he lie gladly in the earth of home
To-night, beneath his weight of fame and flowers?
And is his sleep secure?
Have the proud hearts who left him there to rest
Turned back to living humbly, with a vow
So deep it must endure?

He went so honestly to death! Can they
Dare to forget the need of honesty
And wreck To-morrow with their petty fears,
So that his happy ghost must some day rise
To look with bitterly accusing eyes
On a vast ruin of the Future's years?

If so, they made but mockery and play
Of honor and its wearer yesterday.





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