We never knew how much the Flag <br />Could mean, until he went away, <br />We used to boast of it and brag, <br />As something of a by-gone day; <br />But now the Flag can start our tears <br />In moments of our greatest joy, <br />Old Glory in the sky appears <br />The symbol of our little boy. <br /> <br />We knew that sometimes people wept <br />To see the Flag go waving by, <br />But never guessed the griefs they kept— <br />We never understood just why. <br />But now our eyes grow quickly dim, <br />Our voices choke with sobs to-day; <br />The Flag is telling us of him, <br />Our little boy who's gone away. <br /> <br />We never knew the Flag could be <br />So much a part of human life, <br />We thought it beautiful to see <br />Before these bitter days of strife; <br />But now more beautiful it gleams, <br />And deeper in our hearts it dwells; <br />It is the emblem of our dreams, <br />For of our little boy it tells.<br /><br />Edgar Albert Guest<br /><br />http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/the-flag-14/
