Page:Patriotic pieces from the Great War, Jones, 1918.djvu/187

Rh THE MOTHER ON THE SIDEWALK

By permission of the author and the publishers, Reilly & Britton, Chicago

The mother on the sidewalk as the troops are marching by

Is the mother of Old Glory that is waving in the sky.

Men have fought to keep it splendid, men have died to keep it bright,

But that flag was born of woman and her sufferings day and night;

'Tis her sacrifice has made it, and once more we ought to pray

For the brave and loyal mother of the boys that go away.

There are days of grief before her, there are hours that she will weep,

There are nights of anxious waiting when her fears will banish sleep;

She has heard her country calling and has risen to the test,

She has placed upon the altar of the nation's need her best.

And no man shall ever suffer in the turmoil of the fray

The anguish of the mother of the boy who goes away.