Today's Beautiful Gem: `Memorial Day' by Emma A. Lent

"A day of tender memory,
A day of sacred hours,
Of little bands of marching men,
Of drums and flags and flowers.

"A day when a great nation halts
Its mighty, throbbing pace,
And pays its meed of gratitude
And love with willing grace.

"A day when battles are retold,
And eulogies are said,
When dirges sound, and chaplains read
The office for the dead.

"A day when fairest, sweetest blooms
Are laid upon each grave,
And wreaths are hung on monuments,
And banners, half-mast, wave.

"A day to keep from year to year
In memory of the dead;
Let music sound, and flowers be laid
Upon each resting-bed."

Om Santih! Peace! - J. K. Mohana Rao

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