MEMORIAL DAY POEMS

Below are some Memorial Day poems by first-rate poets.

Memorial Day is a United States Federal holiday, observed on the last Monday of May. It commemorates U.S. soldiers who died while serving their country. Many a patriotic poet has penned Memorial Day poems to honor these brave souls.

Although commonly known as a day of remembrance, Memorial Day is often associated with barbecues, sporting events, and family get-togethers, mainly because of the long weekend.

MAKE MY SORROW PRIDE - by Nicholas Gordon

Make my sorrow pride.

Enter me with light.

Mourning turns to morning,

Or so I would believe.

Reach me with your tide.

Inundate this blight.

Awake me with no warning,

Lest I stay to grieve.

Deaf, dumb, blind inside,

All I crave is night,

Yet too frail to leave.

UNLEARNED LESSON - by Dorothy Brown Thompson

Memorial Day

Of every year

The little valiant

Flags appear

On every fallen

Soldier's grave--

Symbol of what

Each died to save.

And we who see

And still have breath--

Are we no wiser

For their death?

MEMORIAL DAY - by William Henry Clay Dodson

Hither we come to scatter flowers

This thirtieth day of May,

Upon our fallen heroes' graves

On this Memorial Day;

We cherish now no bitter thoughts

In this fair land of ours,

But on all fallen heroes' graves

We come to scatter flowers.

The rank and file in North and South

Believed their cause was just;

We find upon each battle flag

Inscribed, "In God We Trust;"

And in this sunny land of ours,

Now sleeping side by side,

The Union Blue and Southern Gray

Lie buried where they died.

Since we have come to scatter flowers

This consecrated day,

We can not cherish bitter thoughts

Toward those who wore the "Gray;"

Believing that their cause was right,

Freely their blood they shed;

Then, let us strew-alike-the graves

Of all our sacred dead.

And those who for the Union fought,

In scattering flowers to-day

On heroes' graves, would never dream

Of passing by the gray;

And heroes of the "Southern Cause,"

In paying homage true,

Will not forget the graves of those

Who wore the Union Blue.

Thrice welcome, then, this sacred day.

That binds our hearts anew;

Our country undivided stands,

For all-now love the Blue;

On resurrection day,

Linked arm in arm, we'll find the boys

Who wore the Blue and Gray.

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