Page:Patriotic pieces from the Great War, Jones, 1918.djvu/189

Rh SINCE YOU WENT AWAY

Since you went away, every gay sailor lad,

Every khaki-clad soldier I see,

Has a place in my heart, and a share in my thoughts

And belongs, just a little, to me.

He's a comrade of yours, and is bearing his share

Of the burden that rests upon you;

Both are doing the work that a nation has set

For its glorious manhood to do.

Since you went away, I have entered within

A sisterhood—mystic and great—

Of women who've learned the great lesson, to give

And are learning another, to wait.

But I strive, like the rest, not to doubt or to fear;

To murmur, or sigh, or complain,

But to trust in His might, and to know, by His grace,

That your sacrifice cannot be vain.

Since you went away, every fold of the flag

Has a message that's tender and true;

It has always meant liberty, freedom, and right;