Pioneer Day

For the 24th of July (Pioneer Day here in Utah) here is a poem I wrote back when I was 15 or 16.

O Ye Great Land,

Land of my ancestors,

Land of my heritage,

Thy great and powerful mountains,

Protecting the cities below,

Loom high with radiant glory.

O thy deserts,

Those white with salt,

Those that blossom as roses.

See thy majestic forests,

Green and lush and friendly,

With life great and small.

Behold the great land Utah.

By Marc Van Pelt

Fourth of July poems

 Here are some Poems I wrote while serving as a missionary in Mexico. Happy Fourth of July!!

What is America?

I say what is America?

What are great Purple Mountains,

The great Deserts and Salt Plains?

What are great Redwood Forests,

The fields of cotton and wheat?

I say what is America?

What are great pioneers,

The pilgrims and patriots?

What are the Forty-Niners,

The trappers and Explorers?

I say what is America?

What is Freedom and Justice,

And the Liberty and Life?

What is the home of the Brave,

And the land of the Free?

I say they are part of US!

-Elder Marc Van Pelt

       July 4, 1999

 

Oh My Nation

Oh Nation of my Love,

Oh Nation of my Faith,

That poets have praised with their songs.

Where the great bells ring,

and the sweet birds sing,

of Liberty and life.

Oh Nation of Justice.

Oh Nation of Law,

that breaks the yoke of bondage.

Where the humble prevail,

And the Tyrant shall fail,

And freedoms glad music plays.

Oh Nation of my Friends.

Oh Nation of my Fathers,

That God sends blessings each day.

Where until the end of time,

It won’t cease to be mine,

An in the Eternities I pray.

-Elder Marc Van Pelt

       July 4, 1999