Answer:
I am the red tongue of the earth, that buries cities.
I walked and walked and at last I got it. I didn't want it. So I stopped and looked for it. When I found it, I threw it away.
What goes up but never comes down?
Long and think, red within, with a nail at the end.
What looks back but cannot see?
They are many and one, they wave and they drum, Used to cover a state, they go with you everywhere.