Our thanks to Thee for what we have and hold,
For every blessing sent us in the past:
For shelter when the wind was over-bold;
For sustenance that kept us safe from fast;
For friendship’s touch; for childhood’s joys; for health;
For eyes to see the heaven-painted dawn,
And Nature’s many sides–the poor man’s wealth–
From virgin sun-flecked glade to well-kept lawn.
Our thanks for this, our Nation, and our Flag
Proclaiming bravely “Equal Rights for All!”
And should one footstep falter, should one spirit sag,
Let him go back a way, help him recall
The lad, who, six feet under foreign sod,
Has dared to do, that we might thank his God.
by Ray Romine Saturday, October 6, 1945
