A Poetic Tribute

By Bertha Kramer, 1927

There are villages in every land,

They are nestled by the seas,

They are dotted o’er the grassy plain

Or kissed by mountain breeze.

But the village of all to me most dear

Is the one on the Old St. Joe

In the grandest state of the union,

Our glorious Ohio.

Its streets are broad and the maple trees,

That line both sides of the way,

Are emblems of grace and beauty

As in the breeze they play.

And the water of life that courses through

The veins of its sandy soil

Excells [sic] any nectar the gods may pour

To quicken the weary for toil.

And our little town has sent out men

Who have done their bit in the strife,

Whether they lived and served mankind

Or followed the drum and the fife.

And I think as I gaze on the wood-fringed banks,

With limbs reaching up to the sky,

Of the message the river brings to all

Who would read as they’re passing by.

For it whispers, “As I am flowing

Ever onward toward the sea

So your life is swiftly fleeting

Toward the great eternity.”

“As my waters kiss the rootlets

Giving strength as on I flow,

So your life should give in passing

To your fellow men below.”

Then may Edgerton live and flourish,

May the children to whom she gave birth

Ever strive to make this dear old town the best little spot on the earth.

– Edgerton: Our Home Town Yours and Mine