Poems About America

Let the Time Not Pass - Ages of History

Let the time not pass without giving honor to those
    who have passed before us
    with all the frailty that men possess,
Who gave to the utmost
    their lives in devotion to the cause of liberty,
And, with a pride that came from knowing that they served
    a purpose that was worth more
    than their individual life itself,
    gave the full measure of that life
    in service to a shining star
    enfolded in their inner vision,
Pointing to a day in which all men would be free,
    and the suffering of the world would be no more.

Such, throughout the ages, have been the men and women
    whose noble thoughts have led them to take a stand for liberty.
Whose love for an ideal
    became a bright flame within the heart
    that could not be put out.
This love, burning brightly,
    raises one to a higher calling,
    giving courage where none may have existed before,
    giving truth where none may have resided before,
And giving to the heart possessed by such a vision,
    the repayment in greater Life for the life-blood
    that has been poured out.

Let the time not pass, also, without giving honor to those
    who, through the power of the word,
    braved the darts of public reproach in service to the
    high calling of liberty.
These, too, must be honored for the price they paid.
For it is not easy, nor has it ever been,
    for one to stand against the tide of public opinion
    and go one's own way.
For this tide threatens to be engulfing,
And to stand alone in the midst of it
    requires an act of love that is the only
    force that can inspire such deeds.
This love, called forth from the place of the soul,
    brings forth a yearning that arises
    to say what must be said when no one else dares,
To be the voice for those who are afraid
    and the heart for those who can no longer feel.
Such is the mission of the sons and daughters of liberty -
Of those who have come to guard
    the earth and her children
    and to move humanity, step by step, toward the
    promise of its glory.