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| Poppies From My Garden |
In Flanders Fields
By John McCrae, Canadian physician Lieutenant-Colonel
In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie,
In Flanders fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.
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| Memorial Statue of John McCrae - Guelph, Ontario |
The two minutes silence every year on the 11th hour of the 11th day is so poignant and I love the fact that so many of all age groups still stop their day to remember those who have given their lives for us.
ReplyDeleteIt is a very special moment each year, I find it moving that truckers (lorry drivers) pull over to the side of the road at 11:11am to honour those who gave & still give so much. Freedom has such a cost.
DeleteI visited his grave in Wimmereux (spelling) in Northern France during a trip to the battlefields in 2000.
ReplyDeleteIn related news, The Boy Child and I attended the Festival of Remembrance on Saturday at the Royal Albert Hall - post coming soon.
I saw your Insta posts about the Festival, what a wonderful celebration of thanks for the lives given & honouring those still alive & those still serving.
DeleteThe two minutes silence is such an emotional moment. Two of my great uncles died in WW1 and I can always remember,as a child, witnessing the raw emotion of his brothers and sisters during the silence.
ReplyDeleteI find the services very emotional, especially The Last Post & then the bagpipes. This side of the pond, I just wish there wasn't so many political agendas going on around the symbol of Remembrance Day; the poppy.
DeleteOne of my favorite poems! Because of the poem (I believe), Remembrance Day was also called Poppy Day (at least in Sri Lanka, where I was born), and, since I was born on Poppy Day, my mother chose a name for me that paid homage to those special flowers! :)
ReplyDeleteThen you are truly Blessed! I think Poppy Day & Remembrance Day are interchangeable for identifying the day. The poem use to be part of every Canadian child's school program, to learn by heart to recite at Remembrance Day ceremonies, now it seems to be hit & miss of those that know of the poem & the significance behind it.
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