Back Home Author:Charles Phillips BACK HOME BY CHARLES PHILLIPS . Sure as the winged arrow shoots, Straight as the crow flies west, Unerring- as the eagle sweeps The heavens to his nest, My heart sends all its wishings home quotWhere Mother is, is best.quot When Fortune smiles in this fair land, And all the world is dressed In sunny garb, and all the skies Smile at my soul s gla... more »d zest, Oh, then would I go sing-ing home quotWhere Mother is, is best.quot And when the gloom and shadows come, And, faltering in the test, I fail, and fain would lean upon Some heart for strength and rest, Ah, then my heart turns wearily, quotWhere Mother is, is best.quot Where Mother is, there Heaven is, There all the charms possessed Of peace and joy and dear content Await at love s behest Where mother is my heart would stay quotWhere Mother is, is best.quot Yes, I would bring my burdens home, And lay my head at rest In her dear lap or singing bring The fairest fortunes guessed In our long dreams, to make her glad quotWhere Mother is, is bestquot God keep her safe among those scenes Of home so dear, so blest O, long as love and mem ry live, And long as Faith s confessed, My heart will cry to all the world, quotWhere Mother is, is best.quot PART I Stay, stay at home, my heart, and rest, Home-keeping hearts are happiest. The bird is safest in its nest To stay at home is best Longfellow. NO, BACK HOME I do not forget. For all my days Are thronged with thoughts of you, my evening hours Are filled with recollections. Day and night My comings and my goings all are sweetened And pleasant made with memories of you. Now even as I write to bring you near With chronicles of old home days, my heart Is sudden clamorous made with many thoughts As if, with yearning s eager, hurried hand I threw the door of all the past wide open And started all the trembling wings of memory To rushing flight and swift returning welcome. Ah, well they know me, these dear doves of memory, And clamorous they beat their wings around me, Till, in the soft onrushing music made By the attentive flutter of their wings,« less