"Nineteen-Twenty-three" by Carolyn W. Pember (1922)

Nineteen-Twenty-three.

BY CAROLYN W. PEMBER.

We stand upon the threshold

        Of nineteen-twenty-three;

What lies beyond its portals

        Not one of us may see.

And yet we enter boldly,

        (We cannot now delay),

We pray for strength and wisdom

        To guide us on our way.

We know not what invention

        The future may unfold;

Science and education

        Have each a wealth untold.

All those who live for pleasure,

        Live "to themselves alone,"

And soon will be forgotten

        When all their years have flown.

War's aftermath is waning,

        Give Love the right of way,

Abolish Hate and Passion,

        Bring in a better day!

God-fearing, law-abiding,

        Soon may our nation be,

That she "may be exalted"

        In nineteen-twenty-three!

Granville, N. Y.

Troy Times. December 30, 1922: 16 col 2.