THE FLAG
THE FLAG
Johnny hugged his Mom and kissed his little sister, the tears in his eyes showed how much he’d miss her
He walked by the neighbor’s home to say goodbye to Sue, to join with General Hampton was something he must do
He promised Sue he would be back, if she would only wait, she tied her ribbon round his neck and walked him to the gate
She thought he looked quite dashing in his suit of gray, at fourteen he was so young to march into the fray
His Dad had told him when he had left that the South would beat’em; but Johnny’s Dad lost his life at the battle of Antietam
Johnny’s folks like most he knew never owned a slave, he didn’t really want to fight but he knew he must be brave
He believed his state had rights that he had to protect; the North could not be allowed to say what to reject
Johnny met up with the troops as they entered Perryville, the battle here was bloody and many would be killed
A ball tore into Johnny’s leg it entered at the knee; he found he couldn’t stand as he watched the others flee
The Union soldiers found him and put on a make shift clamp, they put him with the others going to the prison camp
Rolled up in Johnny’s shirt inside a cotton bag, was one thing that he cherished, it was the Rebel flag
The road they took was rough the wound was not kept clean, when they arrived at the Fort they found he had gangrene
The leg came off to save his life nothing else would do, he fought the pain with thoughts of home and his girlfriend Sue
While in the prison he looked at all the soldiers lying round, some in Army cots, and others on the ground
Some were black and some were white, he wondered at the sight, they had all fought for what they thought was right
Each day that he spent there he would take out his flag, the colors had all faded, and it looked more like a rag
One day he heard a bugle sound the war was at an end, picking up his crutch he walked home with a friend
When Johnny reached his home it was approaching dawn, his heart fell at his feet, when he saw it was all gone
Sherman had burned and pillaged all that was in his path; Johnny felt once again a deep abiding wrath
He walked a couple miles to a wooded hill; below he saw what once was the town of Bentonville
He asked of people milling round if they knew his Mom and Sis, he found them in a tent and they met him with a kiss
They told him Sue had waited like she said she’d do; she knew you would come back when the war was through
He found her and they married, the leg no care at all, she took his Rebel flag and hung it on the wall
The good Lord gave them 60 years to enjoy their life; Johnny felt that he was blessed with children and a wife
When Johnny died they took the flag and placed it in his coffin, they got another to display and thought of Johnny often
The Stars and Stripes fly on a pole today in Johnny’s yard, the Southern Cross still in the house, never will be barred
When life is over, you time on earth is through, the uniform won’t matter, or the flag you flew
The path to Heavens narrow, so some people say, but I think they have room for both the Blue and Gray
JLP– 6/30/2015
(2015)
The flag flown by the Confederates is an honorable flag. It should not be labeled as a racist symbol. Some people are racist, not flags.
