This poem was included in the original 1915 edition.
BETTER than granite, Spoon River, Is the memory-picture you keep of me Standing before the pioneer men and women There at Concord Church on Communion day. Speaking in broken voice of the peasant youth Of Galilee who went to the city And was killed by bankers and lawyers; My voice mingling with the June wind That blew over wheat fields from Atterbury; While the white stones in the burying ground Around the Church shimmered in the summer sun. And there, though my own memories Were too great to bear, were you, O pioneers, With bowed heads breathing forth your sorrow For the sons killed in battle and the daughters And little children who vanished in life's morning, Or at the intolerable hour of noon. But in those moments of tragic silence, When the wine and bread were passed, Came the reconciliation for us-- Us the ploughmen and the hewers of wood, Us the peasants, brothers of the peasant of Galilee-- To us came the Comforter And the consolation of tongues of flame!
There are currently no comments for this epitaph. Be the first to add a comment!
We reserve the right to remove off-topic, inappropriate or markedly offensive comments. Although your e-mail address is required in case we need to contact you about your comment, we will not make your e-mail address visible to the public, share it with third parties, or use it to send unsolicited messages.
