The Flag

I raised a flag today
A flag with fifty stars
I raised a flag today
A flag with thirteen bars.

I raised a flag today
To honor those who died
I raised a flag today
And then I stood and cried.

I wept and cursed and prayed
And had to wonder "why?"
Angst and anger welled inside me
And then I saw it fly.

The flag snapped briskly in the wind
It unfurled in the sky
Its glory rose above my fears
Its freedom was not denied.

The symbol of our country
The banner of our pride
The flag of these United States
Flew boldly at my side.

I raised a flag today
But the flag, it lifted me.
I raised a flag today
For all the world to see.

I raised a flag today
And upon seeing it, I knew:
Above the ashen gray would rise
The red, the white, and the blue.