Forefather

May I lift sorrow from your sunken chest Hold your weary frown at valor’s behest I wish these words we could have shared My opportunity…tears from your despair How many brethren did you lose this day Unsung dreams lying in an unmarked grave You fought for a life, you would never live Your bravery an anthem, this nation your gift You were colonial peasants, uneducated rabble at best Outnumbered and abated, branded by a crown’s crest Yet your courage was contagious, charging as you bled You sacrificed your very breath, the last one I just read I did not know, as feet swept by you like smoke filled shards The last sight you saw, a frayed flag’s wavering call to arms From Charlestown to Saratoga, not a single battle was won Except this war, the birthplace of freedom’s newfound son Was it your belief in fate, that fighting spirit of Bunker Hill Crossing the icy night, retreating only to Washington’s will Or was it conviction, in the heart of a martyred man Dying for a dream, but not to be driven from his land