I don't want to be negative about the life or achievements of the late Carol Beery Davis, whose proposed second verse for "Alaska's Flag" is again under review in Juneau as an addition to Alaska's state song.

But as I've said here before, I think it is inappropriate to take a completed work of art—the poem and song "Alaska's Flag,"— and add someone else's work onto it.

Davis, who served as Alaska's poet laureate in 1967-69, was a prominent Juneau musician and writer. When she was 95, she dashed off a proposed second verse to the state song in one night, according to her family.

It would not be disrespectful to her, to flag designer Benny Benson or to Alaska Natives for the Legislature to leave the flag song as it is. The text of the state song, written in 1927 and set to music in 1938, is based on the written description given by Benny Benson with his prize-winning design. Plain and simple, the state song is a tribute to Benson.

I also find it troubling that the proposed text as written by Carol Beery Davis was apparently deemed by someone to be in need of major editing, according to the copy I received from the University of Alaska Foundation and a comparison with the bill under review by the Legislature.

The proposed second verse, as written by Davis in 1986,  was copyrighted and given to the UA Foundation, which also owns the rights to the flag song. There are nine changes, not counting capitalization and punctuation changes, made in the bill to Davis' 1986 work.

Davis uses the word "our" six times in her poem, but someone has changed four of those to "the," while substituting "life's" and "all" in two other spots where she used "our."

That someone saw the need to rewrite Davis' work is another reason why "Alaska's Flag" should remain as written.

Here is the copyrighted text of the proposed second verse, according to the UA Foundation:

A native lad chose our Dipper's stars

for Alaska's flag that there be no bars

among our cultures. Be it known

through years our natives' past has grown

to share our treasures, hand in hand,

to keep Alaska our Great Land.

We love the northern midnight sky,

our mountains, lakes and the streams nearby;

Our Great North Star with its steady light

will guide our cultures clear and bright

with Nature's flag to Alaskans dear —

The simple flag of a Last Frontier.

Here is the edited version contained in Senate Bill 43:

A Native lad chose the Dipper's stars

For Alaska's flag that there be no bars

Among our cultures. Be it known

Through years the Natives' past has grown 

To share life's treasures, hand in hand.

To keep Alaska our Great Land;

We love the northern midnight sky,

The mountains, lakes and streams nearby.

The great North Star with its steady light

Will guide all cultures, clear and bright.

With nature's flag to Alaskans dear,

The simple flag of the last frontier.