IN ORDER TO balance things out, today we are publishing a poem celebrating those who have bravely fought and died for their country.

“The Concord Hymn,” written by Ralph Waldo Emerson, is about the battle monument erected to commemorate those who fell at the battles of Lexington and Concord during the Revolutionary War. This poem really gets to the heart of patriotism and what it means to fight for your country.

Emerson's poem is both a celebration of fallen heroes and an argument for remembering them and honoring their bravery. So while many may disagree with participating in war, we feel that it's always important to respect those who have died to protect their beliefs and their nation.

“THE CONCORD HYMN”
by Ralph Waldo Emerson

By the rude bridge that arched the flood,
Their flag to April's breeze unfurled,
Here once the embattled farmers stood
And fired the shot heard round the world.

The foe long since in silence slept;
Alike the conqueror silent sleeps;
And Time the ruined bridge has swept
Down the dark stream which seaward creeps.

On this green bank, by this soft stream,
We set today a votive stone;
That memory may their deed redeem,
When, like our sires, our sons are gone.

Click here to watch former president Bill Clinton recite this poem.