The Gunmen

From the Evening Star, March 11, 1915. By Philander Johnson.

“We had this old world going,”
    Said the sad philanthropist,
“Toward the milk and honey flowing,
    With no sorrows on the list;
We had pictures fair and buildings,
    And the work seemed nobly done
With its carvings and its gildings—
    Then somebody pulled a gun!

“We had ships that sailed the ocean
    With a majesty serene,
Till a strange and fierce commotion
    Scattered terror o’er the scene.
We went forth beyond the setting
    And the rising of the sun
In our giving and our getting—
    Then somebody pulled a gun.

We had hopes for youth to cherish;
    We had pride to solace age.
Now ideals all swiftly perish,
    Melted in a blast of rage.
We were planning a tomorrow
    When a victory should be won
That would conquer every sorrow—
    Then somebody pulled a gun.