JAMES D. HUGHES
MY SON

God gave my son in trust to me
Christ died for him, and he should be
a man for Christ. He is his own,
and God's and Man's - not mine alone.
He was not mine to "give". He gave
Himself that he might help save
All that a Christian should revere.
All that enlightened men endear.
"To feed the guns?"
O torpid soul!
Awake and see Life as a whole,
When freedom, honor, justice, right,
were threatened by a despot's might;
with heart aflame and soul alight
He bravely went for God to fight
against base savages, whose pride
the laws of God and Man defied,
who slew the Mother and the Child;
who maidens pure and sweet defiled;
He did NOT go "to feed the guns".
He went to save from ruthless Huns
His home, and country, and to be
a Guardian of Democracy.
"But what if he does not come?" you say
Ah, well, my sky would be more gray -
But through the clouds the sun would shine
and vital memories be mine.
God's test of manhood is, I know,
Not "Will he come" but "Did he go?"
My son knew well that he might die
and yet, he went, with purpose high
To fight for Peace and overthrow
The plans of Christ's relentless foe.
He dreaded not the battle field
He went to make the vandals yield.
If he shall not come again to me
I shall be sad. But not that he
went like a man, my hero true-
His part, unselfishly to do.
My heart will feel exultant pride
That for Humanity, he died.
.........
It matters not where some men live
If my dear son his life must give -
Hosannas I will sing for him
E'en though my eyes with tears be dim.
And when the War is over; When
his gallant comrades come again
I'll cheer them as they're marching by
Rejoicing that THEY did not die.
And when his vacant place I see
My heart will bound with joy that he
was mine so long - my fair young son -
And cheer for him whose work is done.

Written by James D. Hughes
WWI

Background Sequence by Hans-Joachim Roeder