Original Poem I wrote for Wreaths Across America
- Anne Childress
- 5 days ago
- 2 min read
Wreath Laying at the Corinth National Cemetery, 2025
by Anne Hendricks, M.Ed.
The ground is hushed beneath the winter sun,
In Corinth, where the solemn stones all lie.
A sacred duty, once again begun,
Beneath the vast Mississippi sky.
The lines of white, a silent, perfect row
Bear names of heroes from a distant fight,
From Civil War's long, agonizing woe,
To battles fought in freedom's modern light.
And here we gather, not for pomp or show,
But with the green of life to crown each name.
The volunteers arrive in a steady flow,
To feed the flicker of the hallowed flame.
A wreath of balsam, verdant, deep, and true,
A circle closed where service finds its end,
Is lifted by hands both old and new,
A timeless offering, a faithful friend.
We kneel before the marble, cold and clean,
And place the evergreen upon the base.
We speak the name of one we've never seen,
To fill the quiet of this resting place.
“Remember!” is the word the silence keeps,
For every soul that gave their youth and strength.
The promise spoken where the veteran sleeps,
Their legacy is not measured by war's length.
From North to South, from every age and war,
They answer now, as we pronounce their call.
The quiet cypress guards the memory's core,
The wreath acknowledges the cost of all.
A simple gesture, powerful and deep,
A moment standing on the sacred sod,
The pledge we make, the memory we keep:
You are not forgotten, soldier, by your God.
The thousands of green rings upon the white,
Transform the field into a memorial grand,
A silent army, honored in the light,
The grateful tribute of a hopeful land.
Copyright, Anne Hendricks, M.Ed.
Corinth Crossroads, 2025-2026
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