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Title: Loyalty
Author: Everard Jack Appleton [
More Titles by Appleton]
This is no time to quibble or to fool;
To argue over who was wrong, who right;
To measure fealty with a worn foot-rule;
To ask: "Shall we keep still or shall we fight?"
The Clock of Fate has struck; the hour is here;
War is upon us now--not far away;
One question only rises, clarion clear:
"How may I serve my country, day by day?"
Not all of us may join the khakied throng
Of those who answer and go forth to stem
The tide of war. But we can all be strong
And steady in our loyalty to them!
Not with unfettered thought, or tongue let loose
In bitterness and hate--a childish game!
But with a faith, untroubled by abuse,
That honors those who put the rest to shame!
There is no middle ground on which to stand;
We've done with useless pro-and-con debates;
The one-time friend, so welcome in this land,
Has turned upon us at our very gates.
There is no way, with honor, to stand back--
Real patriotism isn't cool--then hot;
You cannot trim the flag to fit your lack;
You are American--or else you're not!
[The end]
Everard Jack Appleton's poem: Loyalty
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