Graphic by Billie
A Welcome Way To Warn
The little red schoolhouse comes alive in early morn,
The schoolhouse bell clangs cheerfully as a welcome way to warn,
Please gather in your places and direct your eyes up here.
We’ll pledge and say a prayer and then we’ll have a song of cheer.
A simple time of innocence when people spoke of God,
And anyone who disagreed just seemed so very odd.
We thought they were just crazy, plainly touched up in the head.
Our love of country and respect for law were like our daily bread.
The doctor knew our names and he knew where we were living,
And the preacher could be counted on when sins would need forgiving.
Our heroes were the soldiers who were seen on every square,
Our policemen and our firemen always smiled to show they care.
Perhaps we’ve lost this innocence, or grown a thicker skin,
But I believe another voice has slowly drifted in.
There is a storm of doubt which now is like a burning flame,
And ashes of our former dreams say we’ve already lost the game.
Bright smiles remain on faces of the children at this hour,
As we struggle to preserve the hope that gives to them the power.
Let us lift our eyes to Heaven where the clouds are fleeting shapes,
And draw down the strength of will we need before it all escapes.
NicknamedBob . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . May 19, 2005
© 2005
Godfrey Davis, who wrote a biography of the Duke of Wellington, said, "I found an old account ledger that showed how the Duke spent his money. It was a far better clue to what he thought was really important than the reading of his letters or speeches." 
