Lest we forget

A poem for today.  It was written by John McCrae in May,1915.

In Flanders Fields

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

The poem is not mine – but the painting is.

© Andrea Neidle, My Life in Poems

Poppy Day

Here’s a poem for today.

I’d like to be able to say I wrote it but it’s not mine.

It was written by John McCrae in May, 1915. And it’s one of my favourite poems.

In Flanders Fields  

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.

Someone has had the great idea of scattering poppy seeds so that they bloom in time for the 100th anniversary of the First World War on 4 August, 2014. In that way we can all commemorate the enormous sacrifice that was made on our behalf.

Here’s the link if you would like to buy some poppy seeds to scatter:

http://realpoppy.co.uk/

            © Andrea Neidle, My Life in Poems