Article #16 - originally published in the November/December 2001 issue of "The Cigar Label Gazette"

cigar label art author pic Did You Know?
by Chip Brooks

Article #16

 

(Background for this article: As I was preparing for another historical article for the Nov/Dec issue, the 9/11 tragedy struck.  I was having trouble getting into research mode for a regular article when Ed Barnes called and suggested we do a Gazette geared to what had just happened.  I was trying to come up with something that would be meaningful and poignant, when I received this wonderful poem...)

As I started to prepare another article, I was having trouble putting down the words.  Then I received an E-mail with a wonderful poem and the words and labels suddenly came together. This is a special "Did You Know?" dedicated to families and friends who lost their lives on September 11, 2001.  This poem unfortunately is an 'author unknown'.  Too bad...they deserve a lot of credit.  God Bless America!

Did You Know?
"I Wonder What She Thought"

Guardian

"Lady Liberty"

I wonder what she thought
"As she stood there, strong and tall
She couldn't turn away,
She was forced to watch it all.

High Light

Did she long to offer comfort
As her country bled?
With her arm forever frozen
High above her head.

Flambeau

She could not shield her eyes
She could not hide her face
She just stared across the water
Keeping Freedom's Place.

Republics

The smell of smoke and terror
Somehow reduced her size
So small within the harbor
But still we recognized....

Liberty

How dignified and beautiful
On a day so many died
I wonder what she thought
And I know she must have cried."
~author unknown~

El Puerto Americano

At the Long Beach show I discovered a label in Si Bass' collection titled "The Colors of the Flag".  The phrases of this 100+ year old poem vary greatly from the above poem of today...but the patriotic sentiment is just as strong.

Flag Colors

"The Colors of the Flag"

"When freedom from her mountain height,
Unfurled the standard to the air,
She tore the azure robe of night
and set the stars of glory there.
She mingled with its gorgeous dyes
the milky baldric of the skies,
and striped its pure celestial white
with streakings of the morning light."

Side Note: baldric - Pronunciation: 'bol-drik
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English baudry, from Middle French baudré, from Old French baldrei
Date: 14th century: an ornamented belt worn over one shoulder to support a sword or bugle.

Abe

"You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong."
~Abraham Lincoln~

Light of America

Those who collect Cigar Label Art today are a special group of people.  Those who created these wonderful images over a hundred years ago set a standard of creativity, insight and patriotism that I hope we can perpetuate for another hundred years.

American Glory

God Bless America
God Bless You and Yours
God Bless Us All...

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