LITERARY CORNER

The Maple Leaf Forever

In days of yore, from Britain's shore,
Wolfe, the dauntless hero, came,
And planted firm Britannia's flag,
On Canada's fair domain.
Here may it wave, our boast and pride,
And, joined in love together,
The Thistle, Shamrock, Rose entwine
The Maple Leaf forever!

At Queenston's Heights and Lundy's Lane,
Our brave fathers, side by side,
For freedom, homes, and loved ones dear,
Firmly stood and nobly died.
And those dear rights which they maintained,
We swear to yield them never!
Our watchword evermore shall be,
The Maple Leaf forever!

Our fair Dominion now extends
From Cape Race to Nootka Sound;
May peace forever be our lot,
And plenteous store abound;
And may those ties of love be ours
Which discord cannot sever,
And flourish green o'er freedom's home,
The Maple Leave forever!

On merry England's far-famed land,
May kind Heaven sweetly smile;
God bless old Scotland evermore,
And Ireland's Emerald isle!
Then swell the song, both loud and long,
Till rocks and forests quiver.
God save our Queen, and heaven bless
The Maple Leaf forever!

--Alexander Muir


I Am the Flag

I saw your grandpa march through snow,
His boots broke ice so seeds could grow.
I watched your mother take a stand,
Her protest lit this sacred land.

You think I'm cloth? Just red and blue?
No--I'm every "yes" and every "true."
I am the anthem before the play,
I'm every Fourth and every May.

I've flown above playgrounds and courts
Seen peace talks and broken forts.
I wave at schools and courtroom halls,
I've seen your rises, felt your falls.

Kids look up, say "what's she for?"
I'm not just stitched--I am the door.
To every dream, to every dare,
To every fight that got you there.

So hear me now: pass me on.
Let me wave when you are gone.
I'm the whisper in the breeze,
And the roar that never leaves.

--Howard Schnauber


I Am the Flag

I am the flag.
I waved over the blood-red struggle for liberty.
I watched those first steps toward a dream still incomplete.
From despots and tyrants who hungered for this land,
I shielded the people beneath my stars.

I am the flag.
I floated over harbors that welcomed the huddled masses.
I wove together the destinies of immigrants.
Hoping that those who sought shelter beneath my stripes
Would never forget that they too were immigrants once.

I am the flag.
No man owns me to wave my colors for his gain
No party can annex my valor to achieve its ends
I stand alone, inviolate, unafraid--
The inheritance of all who will honor my truths.

I am the flag.

--Selsi


"Geography has made us neighbors. History has made us friends. Economics has made us partners. And necessity has made us allies." - John F. Kennedy