The blacksmith's chisel -- President Ronald Reagan

By Scott Hyland

(Written for President Ronald Reagan, who went home to be with his maker on June 5, 2004)

I once knew a blacksmith
The Blacksmith of Time.
Who commands the attention
Of all of mankind.

I've listened to him strike
His anvil before,
But this time when he struck it
He struck it twice more.

The name he gave the anvil
Was the name of Christian.
When I asked him why he struck it
He said, "Come and listen."

"I once forged a sword upon it
That I called Old Glory.
It was a gift to rid the world
Of its religious fury.

"I have to place it on the anvil
Time and time again,
To rescue it from
The condition it's in.

"This time I struck it
Because the sword lost its edge.
It had gotten stuck in the middle
Of a Red wooded hedge.

"So there from the anvil
I broke off an edge.
And named him none other
Than the Liberty Wedge.

"I took that wedge
And placed him in the gap.
And gave him one,
Maybe two little taps.

"Then I struck him and struck him
And finally worked the blade loose.
"But not before the Red had bled
Into the white and the blue.

"Then I took that trustworthy chisel again
And tore down the bleeding Red Curtain
That was made of Iron.

"Now the sword is unfurled
From the sheath it was in.
And was sharpened by the chisel
With its blade razor thin.

"Ready to protect
Ready to defend
Ready to stand for the truth once again.

"Today, I retired that liberating nail.
And prepared for him a place
For causing freedom to prevail.

"To me he was faithful
To me he was true
For preserving the real meaning
Of the red, white and blue.

"So I pound on this anvil
In honor of the wedge
For restoring to the world
Old Glory with an edge."

Written for: President Ronald Reagan — The Blacksmith's Chisel

© Scott Hyland