Then I
stopped and watched as she offered them there,
And her
face was old and lined with care;
But
beneath the scars the years had made
There
remained a smile that refused to fade.
A boy
came whistling down the street,
Bouncing
along on carefree feet
His smile
was full of joy and fun,
"Lady,"
said he, "may I have one?
"When
she'd pinned it on he turned to say,
"Why
do we wear rosemary today?"
The lady
smiled in her wistful way
And
answered, "Today is Anzac Day,
And the
rosemary there is the symbol for
The
gallant men who died in war
And
because they did, you and I are free -
That's
why we wear a sprig of rosemary, you see.
"I
had a boy about your size,
With
golden hair and big blue eyes.
He loved
to play and jump and shout,
Free as a
bird he would race about.
As the
years went by he learned and grew
And
became a man - as you will, too.
"He
was fine and strong, with such a boyish smile,
But he'd
seemed with us such a little while
When war
broke out and he went away.
I still
remember his face that day
When he
turned and smiled at me and said,
"goodbye,
I'll be back soon, Mum, so please don't cry.
"But
the war went on and he had to stay,
And all I could do was wait and pray
His
letters told of the awful fight
(I can
see it still in my dreams at night),
With the
tanks and guns and cruel barbed wire,
And the
mines and bullets, the bombs and fire.
Till at
last, at last, the war was won -
And
that's why we wear a sprig of rosemary, son
"The
small boy turned as if to go,
Then
said, "Thanks, lady, I'm glad to know
That sure
did sound like an awful fight,
But your
son - did he come back all right?"
A tear
rolled down each faded cheek;
She shook
her head, but didn't speak.
I slunk away
in a sort of shame,
And if
you were me you'd have done the same;
For our
thanks, in giving, is oft delayed,
Though
our freedom was bought -and thousands paid!
And so
when we see a sprig of rosemary proudly worn,
Let us
reflect on the burden borne,
By those
who gave their very all
When
asked to answer their country's call
That we
at home in peace might live
Then wear
a sprig of rosemary!
And remember those who no longer live!
