15 Perfect Flag Day Poems For American Kids

Flag Day is one of America’s most overlooked and underappreciated holidays.

Why?

Because so many of don’t know the purpose behind this special day.

I’m a hopeful optimist at heart, so I hope none of us are taking for granted the gift of freedom that comes from those who have died under this beautiful flag.

But, this doesn’t mean we can ignore this most recognized symbol of freedom.

The purpose and vision behind this beautiful flag, and the price of the lives its cost is something that should be held close to all our hearts.

The Flag Day poems you will find here are only a small handful of the many testaments to the symbol of our national unity.

Read them, study them, and then teach them to your children this year.

Ronald Regan once said, “Freedom is a fragile thing and it’s never more than one generation away from extinction. It is not ours by way of inheritance; it must be fought for and defended constantly by each generation, for it comes only once to a people. And those in world history who have known freedom and then lost it have never known it again.”

Ronald Regan, 40th U.S. President

15 Perfect Flag Day Poems For American Kids

Ragged Old Flag by Johnny Cash

I walked through a county courthouse square,

On a park bench an old man was sitting there.

I said, “Your old courthouse is kinda run down.”

He said, “Naw, it’ll do for our little town.”

I said, “Your flagpole has leaned a little bit,

And that’s a Ragged Old Flag you got hanging on it.

He said, “Have a seat”, and I sat down.

“Is this the first time you’ve been to our little town?”

I said, “I think it is.” He said, “I don’t like to brag,

But we’re kinda proud of that Ragged Old Flag.”

“You see, we got a little hole in that flag there

When Washington took it across the Delaware.

And it got powder-burned the night Francis Scott Key

Sat watching it writing “Oh Say Can You See”.

And it got a bad rip in New Orleans

With Packingham and Jackson tuggin’ at its seams.”

“And it almost fell at the Alamo

Beside the Texas flag, but she waved on through.

She got cut with a sword at Chancellorsville

And she got cut again at Shiloh Hill.

There was Robert E. Lee, Beauregard, and Bragg,

And the south wind blew hard on that Ragged Old Flag.”

“On Flanders Field in World War I

She got a big hole from a Bertha gun.

She turned blood red in World War II

She hung limp and low by the time it was through.

She was in Korea and Vietnam.

She went where she was sent by her Uncle Sam.”

“She waved from our ships upon the briny foam,

And now they’ve about quit waving her back here at home.

In her own good land she’s been abused

She’s been burned, dishonored, denied and refused.”

“And the government for which she stands

Is scandalized throughout the land.

And she’s getting threadbare and wearing thin,

But she’s in good shape for the shape she’s in.

‘Cause she’s been through the fire before

And I believe she can take a whole lot more.”

“So we raise her up every morning,

Take her down every night.

We don’t let her touch the ground

And we fold her up right.

On second thought I DO like to brag,

‘Cause I’m mighty proud of that Ragged Old Flag.”

I Am Old Glory by Master Sergeant Percy Webb, USMC

I Am Old Glory:  

For more than ten score years

I have been the banner of hope and freedom

for generation after generation of Americans.

Born amid the first flames of America’s fight for freedom,

I am the symbol of a country that has grown

from a little group of thirteen colonies

to a united nation of fifty sovereign states.

Planted firmly on the high pinnacle of American Faith

my gently fluttering folds have proved an inspiration to untold millions.

Men have followed me into battle with unwavering courage.

They have looked upon me as a symbol of national unity.

They have prayed that they and their fellow citizens

might continue to enjoy the life, liberty and pursuit of happiness,

which have been granted to every American as the heritage of free men.

So long as men love liberty more than life itself;

so long as they treasure the priceless privileges

bought with the blood of our forefathers;

so long as the principles of truth, justice and charity

for all remain deeply rooted in human hearts,

I shall continue to be the enduring banner

of the United States of America.

The Stars and Stripes Are Good Enough by Frederick W. Emerson

“The Stars and Stripes are good enough”

To float in every town;

All emblems of a foreign kind

Should everywhere come down.

Our fathers fought beneath its folds,

And faithful brothers died;

Fond husbands were among the brave,

And sons, their mother’s pride.

“The Stars and Stripes are good enough”

For these United States;

And not another flag must come

Within its peaceful gates.

Our emblem honored with the blood

Of noble, men so true,

Must everywhere be honored still,

No other flag will do.

“The Stars and Stripes are good enough,”

Let love fill every breast;

It brought us victory in war,

In times of peace gives rest.

The Liberty which we enjoy,

Wherever we may roam,

Is found beneath the Stars and Stripes

In every place called home.

“The Stars and Stripes are good enough,”

Our only flag it is;

And aliens from the foreign lands

Must all remember this.

It cost us much to hold aloft

Our emblem rich and fair,

Whate’er the cost in future days,

We’ll try and keep it there.

Wave, Wave, Wave by Annette Wynne

Wave, wave, wave,

Glad flag of the free,

While men march and fight and die

For you and liberty!

Ode To The Flag by Linda Sheehan Cunningham

Copyright 1970 & 1996

Our Nation’s Flag is a stirring sight

As it flutters proudly in the breeze

Its colors of blue, red and white

Mean so much to you and me

Red stands for courage and hardiness

The white means innocence and purity

Blue for justice, perseverance and vigilance

In its promise to keep us free.

This banner stands for a bountiful land,

Its government, people, and ideals,

The stripes from the thirteen colonies stand,

Its symbolism is very real.

Each State now is represented

By a star of white on blue

President George Washington first presented The American Flag to You.

Many brave men have fought and died

To protect it from dishonor and disgrace.

Wives have mourned and mothers have cried

So we could remain…the United States.

The sight of this Banner brings feeling of joy,

Of courage, pride and freedom to all.

A symbol of our nation in all it’s glory,

On the moon Old Glory stands tall.

The American Flag by William Parsons Lunt

Flag of my country! in thy folds

Are wrapped the treasures of the heart;

Where’er that waving sheet is fanned

By breezes of the sea or land,

It bids the life blood start.

It is not that among those stars

The fiery crest of Mars shines out;

It is not that on battle-plain;

‘Mid heaps of harnessed warriors slain,

It flaps triumphant o’er the rout.

Short-lived the joy that conquest yields;

Flushed victory is bathed in tears;

The burden of that bloody fame

Which shouting myriads proclaim

Sounds sad to widowed ears.

Thou hast a deeper, stronger hold,

Flag of my country! on the heart,

Than when o’er mustered hosts unfurled,

Thou art a signal to the world,

At which the nations start.

Thou art a symbol of the power

Whose sheltering wings our homes surround;

Guarded by thee was childhood’s morn,

And where thy cheering folds are borne,

Order and Peace are found.

Flag of our mighty Union, hail!

Blessings abound where thou dost float;

Best robe for living Freedom’s form,

Fit pall to spread upon her tomb,

Should Heaven to death devote.

Wave over us in glory still,

And be our guardian as now!

Each wind of heaven salute thy streaks!

And withered be the arm that seeks

To bring that banner low!

My American Flag by Dan Solodon (a disabled American veteran)

The People of today

just rant and rave.

They burn my symbol of freedom,

I just want to grab and shake them.

They have no sense of pride,

For your beauty you never denied.

Like my brothers before me,

I have fought to keep your colors free.

With every battle that we had won,

you were there to show who was number one.

When our brothers had died,

you caressed their bodies with pride.

We have our leaders to thank,

for allowing these people their prank.

To them it may be a cloth of colors,

to me it stands for freedom and honor.

We must ask our leaders to debate,

and change our flags fate.

My American Flag this promise I give,

to hold you high and let you live.

My words to you are profound,

I’ll keep your colors off the ground.

I will guard and protect your stars and stripes,

with all my power, might and life.

The Flag Goes By by Henry Holcomb Bennett

Hats off! Along the street there comes

A blare of bugles, a ruffle of drums,

A flash of color beneath the sky: Hats off!

The flag is passing by!

Blue and crimson and white it shines,

Over the steel-tipped, ordered lines.

Hats off! The colors before us fly;

But more than the flag is passing by.

Sea-fights and land-fights, grim and great,

Fought to make and to save the State:

Weary marches and sinking ships;

Cheers of victory on dying lips;

Days of plenty and years of peace;

March of a strong land’s swift increase;

Equal justice, right, and law,

Stately honor and reverend awe;

Sign of a nation, great and strong

Toward her people from foreign wrong:

Pride and glory and honor,–all

Live in the colours to stand or fall.

Hats off! Along the street there comes

A blare of bugles, a ruffle of drums;

And loyal hearts are beating high: Hats off!

The Flag is passing by!

The Flower of Liberty by Oliver Wendell Holmes

What flow’r is this that greets the morn,

Its hues from heav’n so freshly born?

With burning star and flaming band

It kindles all the sunset land:

O tell us what its name may be,

Is this the Flower of Liberty?

It is, it is the banner of the free,

The starry Flower, the Flower of Liberty!

In savage Nature’s far abode,

Its tender seed our fathers sowed;

The storm-winds rocked its swelling bud,

Its op’ning leaves were streaked with blood,

Till lo! earth’s tyrants shook to see

The full-blown Flower of Liberty!

Then hail, then hail the banner of the free,

The starry Flower, the flower of Liberty!

Behold its streaming rays unite,

One mingling flood of braided light,—

The red that fires the Southern rose,

With spotless white from Northern snows,

And, spangled o’er its azure, see

The sister Stars of Liberty!

Then hail, then hail the banner of the free,

The starry Flower, the Flower of Liberty!

The blades of heroes fence it round,

Where’er it springs is holy ground;

From tower and dome its glories spread;

It waves where lonely sentries tread;

It makes the land as ocean free,

And plants an empire on the sea!

Then hail, then hail the banner of the free,

The starry Flower, the Flower of Liberty!

Thy sacred leaves, fair Freedom’s flower,

Shall ever float on dome and tower,

To all their heav’nly colors true,

In black’ning frost or crimson dew,—

And God love us as we love thee,

Thrice holy Flower of Liberty!

Then hail, then hail the banner of the free,

The starry Flower, the Flower of Liberty!

The Old Flag by H.C. Bunner

Off with your hat as the flag goes by!

And let the heart have it say;

You’re man enough for a tear in your eye

That you will never wipe away.

You’re man enough for a thrill that goes

To your very finger-tips– Ay!

The lump just then in your throat that rose

Spoke more than your parted lips.

Lift up the boy on your shoulder high,

And show him the faded shred;

Those stripes would be red as the sunset sky

If death could have dyed them red.

Off with your hat as the flag goes by!

Uncover the youngster’s head;

Teach him to hold it holy and high

For the sake of its sacred dead.

The American Flag by Joseph Rodman Drake

When freedom, from her mountain height

Unfurled her 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,

Then from his mansion in the sun

She called her eagle-bearer down

And gave into his mighty hand

The symbol of her chosen land.

The Republic From “The Building Of The Ship” by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Thou, too, sail on, O Ship of State!

Sail on, O Union, strong and great!

Humanity with all its fears,

With all the hopes of future years,

Is hanging breathless on the fate!

We know what Master laid the keel,

What Workmen wrought thy ribs of steel,

Who made each mast, and sail, and rope,

What anvils rang, what hammers beat,

In what forge and what a heat

Were shaped the anchors of thy hope!

Fear not each sudden sound and shock,

‘Tis of the wave and not the rock;

‘Tis but the flapping of the sail,

And not a rent made by the gale!

In spite of rock and tempest’s roar,

In spite of false lights on the shore,

Sail on, nor fear to breast the sea!

Our hearts, our hopes, are all with thee,

Our hearts, our hopes, our prayers, our tears,

Our faith triumphant o’er our fears,

Are all with thee, – are all with thee!

Stars and Stripes Forever by John Philip Sousa

Let martial note in triumph float

And liberty extend its mighty hand

A flag appears ‘mid thunderous cheers,

The banner of the Western land.

The emblem of the brave and true

Its folds protect no tyrant crew;

The red and white and starry blue

Is freedom’s shield and hope.

Other nations may deem their flags the best

And cheer them with fervid elation

But the flag of the North and South and West

Is the flag of flags, the flag of Freedom’s nation.

(repeats) Other nations may deem their flags the best

And cheer them with fervid elation,

But the flag of the North and South and West

Is the flag of flags, the flag of Freedom’s nation.

Hurrah for the flag of the free!

May it wave as our standard forever,

The gem of the land and the sea,

The banner of the right.

Let despots remember the day

When our fathers with mighty endeavor

Proclaimed as they marched to the fray

That by their might and by their right

It waves forever.

Let eagle shriek from lofty peak

The never-ending watchword of our land;

Let summer breeze waft through the trees

The echo of the chorus grand.

Sing out for liberty and light,

Sing out for freedom and the right.

Sing out for Union and its might,

O patriotic sons.

Hurrah for the flag of the free.

May it wave as our standard forever

The gem of the land and the sea,

The banner of the right.

Let despots remember the day

When our fathers with mighty endeavor

Proclaimed as they marched to the fray,

That by their might and by their right

It waves forever.

A Song For Flag Day by Wilbur D. Nesbit

Your Flag and my Flag!

And how it flies today

In your land and my land

And half a world away!

Rose-red and blood-red

The stripes forever gleam

Snow-white and soul-white

The good forefather’s dream

Sky-blue and true-blue with stars to gleam aright—

The glorious guidon of the day; a shelter through the night.

Your Flag, and my Flag!

And oh how much it holds—

Your land and my land—

Secure within its folds!

Your heart and my heart

Beat quicker at the sight;

Sun-kissed and wind-tossed,

Red and blue and white.

The one Flag—the great Flag—the Flag for me and you—

Glorified all else beside—the red and white and blue!

Your Flag and my Flag!

To every star and stripe

The drums beat as heart beat

And lifers shrilly pipe!

Your Flag and my Flag—

A blessing in the sky;

Your hope and my hope—

It never hid a lie!

Home land and far land and half the world around,

Old Glory hears our glad salute and ripples to the sound!

O Flag of our Union

O flag of our Union,

To you we’ll be true,

To your red and white stripes,

And your stars on the blue;

The emblem of freedom,

The symbol of right,

We children salute you,

O flag fair and bright!

This Flag Day, let’s make sure we never forget the gift of freedom that our national heroes provided us with.

It is up to us, as individuals and as a nation, to protect and adore the flag of the United States every day and remember why it’s so important.

The flag is a symbol of unity in our differences and a sign of our freedom — and that should be celebrated.

If you would like to share these Flag Day poems, please share your favorite poems or thoughts on social media.

Thank you for helping to honor the patriotic symbols of a nation and those who have made it possible for us to call this great country home.

God bless America!