They celebrate the day
of independence,
crying "Give me liberty
or give me death!",
not realizing that the two
once came hand-in-hand.
They celebrate,
fireworks replacing the bombs in the air
and sparklers instead of musket fuses.
Yet little do they recall
that behind the legends
of heroism and valor,
the story on the battlefield
was of mud and blood,
not gold and glory.
Common men fought -
killed and were killed -
fell in pain
into the graves they dug themselves.
They went barefoot,
marching endlessly, not riding,
cold in winter and starving,
yet they fought on.
These are the true heroes,
the ones whose names
have been forgotten or overshadowed,
the ones who willingly died en masse
for the freedom of the loves ones
many would never see again.

We celebrate this day
of independence,
the day that the blood shed,
tears cried,
and lives given
proved not in vain...
For We Are Free.

07/04/2000

Posted on 09/22/2001
Copyright © 2025 Amanda J Cobb