SPIRIT OF A NATION I proudly wave across the land, a stately emblem in the breeze A patriotic declaration of a nation’s liberty White purity and innocence Red hardiness and valor Blue vigilance and justice are preserved within my colors Over hallowed halls of knowledge, of government, of law I stand watch over principles to earn my nation’s awe And like the stars so proudly worn upon my breast of blue I transcend the bonds of earth to stand majestic on the moon Dauntless onto battlefields I lead my country’s brave And with solemn dignity escort the fallen to their graves I serve as dressing for the wounds of injured men and towers Bestowing hope and solace in my nation’s darkest hours When my loyal, revered servants’ last heartbeats come to pass I join my mourning nation, flying somberly half mast Flames of hatred and dissension may reduce my cloth to ash Yet with the smoke my liberty still rises unabashed My strength lies not in stars or stripes, in fabric nor in thread But in the hearts of citizens who hold my values sacred For those who would destroy America’s noble decoration Will come to find they shan’t destroy the spirit of a nation Deborah Whipp, October 25, 2001        FREEDOM’S COST When engines roared and hatred flew and innocence was lost In twisted steel and broken lives -- there lay Freedom’s cost When heroes crawled amongst the ruins in desperate search of life Their burning eyes bore witness to Freedom’s awful price When travelers stood to wrest the course of hatred from its goal They knew full well they gave their lives in paying Freedom’s toll When soldiers proud donned uniforms for battles all too near They knew they would not all return for Freedom’s dues are dear When from the sorrow a nation rose in determined unity With heads held high, prepared to fight for Freedom is not free Deborah Whipp, September 20, 2001      A SOLITARY CANDLE A solitary candle A humble, quiet token The merest spark of hopefulness That left the dark unbroken It whispered to the empty night Of innocence too brief Of bravery midst adversity Of anguished souls in grief Through tear-dimmed eyes it shimmered A solemn, lonely flame Its whisper caught the evening breeze And soon more candles came A thousand burning candles A golden, shining sea Lit a nation’s darkened heart Revealing Unity Deborah Whipp, October 10, 2001 Visit www.shopToyland.com Your Family Internet Shopping Resource