“In God Is Our Trust”
—The Star-Spangled Banner
Where were those words, those hallowed words,
“In God We Trust” once born?
Francis Scott Key once composed them
on a misty harbor morn.
Held on a British boat he could
not fight the enemy,
So fought with words, while our flag
still stood at Fort McHenry
He wrote with pure alacrity,
four verses, eight lines each,
Though that first verse is all the words
You’ll hear the song books teach.
His fourth verse said how we must fight
because our cause is just
And said our motto had to be,
quote: “In God is our trust.”
Now if I sang our anthem at
a crowded football game,
I’d choose to sing this precious verse
without a lick of shame.
Our banner’s stars are heavenly—
undying, unforgot!
Our nation’s soul is conscience-bound,
and that we owe to God!
LTC Roy E. Peterson, US Army Military Intelligence and Russian Foreign Area Officer (Retired) has published more than 7,300 poems in 102 of his 125 books. He has been an Army Attaché in Moscow, Commander of INF Portal Monitoring in Votkinsk, first US Foreign Commercial Officer in Vladivostok, Russia and Regional Manager in the Russian Far East for IBM. He holds a BA, Hardin-Simmons University (Political Science); MA, University of Arizona (Political Science); MA, University of Southern California (Int. Relations) and MBA University of Phoenix. He taught at the University of Arizona, Western New Mexico University, University of Maryland, Travel University and the University of Phoenix.
How lovely, informative, and inspiring! I just found and read them all. Wow! Should be required reading and memorization in every American classroom. Thanks, Roy.