What made the eagle cry?
What brought these tears to every eye?
We ask, ‘Why did so many have to die?’
From the skies terror fell like rain,
Don’t let our heroes die in vain;
Fathers, mothers and the children that were slain.

What will dry the eagle’s tears?
What will banish all our fears?
United as we stand, undivided in this land.

We let it fester more and more,
they’ve killed Americans before,
We took them in and taught them well,
They stole our planes, our towers fell.

Then they spread the deadly spores,
And panic swept from shore to shore,
But like the Phoenix, we shall rise,
And drive this terror from our skies.

Our eagle flies with wings unfurled,
‘Old Glory’ waves before the world,
Lift every heart and voice and sing,
Forever more let freedom ring!

Once more the eagle lifts his wings,
Once more our land united sings,
Once more the bell of freedom rings,
Once more the peace that victory brings.

Who will with our eagle soar,
And drive this terror from our shore?
We print, ‘In God We Trust,’
Was once our motto, now a must!

Let freedom ring in this great land,
It’s time ‘Old Glory’ took a stand,
And if we must, we’ll stand and fight!
It is our country, it is our right.

I pledge allegiance to this land,
and to the Republic for which it stands,
Lift every heart and voice and sing,
Forever more let freedom ring!
Let freedom ring!!

— LYNNE CRAIGE COX
Copyright 2002

Post script: Many people have forgotten the terrorists sent the anthrax spores through the mail, and that ‘we taught them well’ refers to the fact that they learned to fly planes at one of our commercial flight schools.  I composed this three days after 9/11. You may recall the picture of our American eagle sent through email at that time with a tear in his eye — his picture was superimposed on the scene of the towers falling.