Line after line, you swung along,
You men, who only a while ago
Were just a part of the city's throng
Working for self, sedate and slow.
But now--what a diff'rence! Living throbs
Of the Nation's heart! Her reborn men;
And some who saw you gulped back sobs--
And wished you were marching home again!
Our eyes were dim as you went past,
For we _knew you_--at last!
We felt that every senseless joke
About a soldier, wherever made,
Would make _us_ ashamed.... For now we choke
Whenever the Colors and _you_ parade!
Wherever that O. D. uniform
Shall gladden the eyes of we useless men
We can't forget who is meeting the storm--
That some of you won't come home again!
You went.... We talked.... God blot the past!
For _we_ know _you_--at last!