Poem of the Week: Memorial Day

Long before Memorial Day was celebrated with cook outs, it was celebrated by visiting the graves of veterans and decorating them with flowers.  Back then it was called Decoration Day.  Since we have many veterans in our family, we continue to decorate the graves, and then we go home and have a big family cook out!

Decoration Day
By: Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Sleep, comrades, sleep and rest
  On this Field of the Grounded Arms,
Where foes no more molest,
  Nor sentry's shot alarms!

Ye have slept on the ground before,
  And started to your feet
At the cannon's sudden roar,
  Or the drum's redoubling beat.

But in this camp of Death
  No sound your slumber breaks;
Here is no fevered breath,
  No wound that bleeds and aches.

All is repose and peace,
  Untrampled lies the sod;
The shouts of battle cease,
  It is the Truce of God!

Rest, comrades, rest and sleep!
  The thoughts of men shall be
As sentinels to keep
  Your rest from danger free.

Your silent tents of green
  We deck with fragrant flowers;
Yours has the suffering been,
  The memory shall be ours.

HT:Maine Historical Society