The Poppy..

18 comments

Please wear a poppy the Lady said,
And held one forth but I shook my head,
Then i stopped & watched as she offered them there,
And her face was old & lined with care,
But beneath the scars the years had made,
There remained a smile that refused to fade,

A boy came whistling down the street,
Bouncing along with care free feet,
His smile was full of joy and fun,
Lady he said may I have one,
When she pinned it on he turned to say,
Why do we wear a poppy today.

The Lady smiled in her whistful way,
And answered this is Rememberance Day,
And the poppy there is a symbol for,
The gallant men who died in the War,
And because they did you & Iare free,
Thats why we wear a poppy you see.

I had a boy about your size,
With golden hair and big blue eyes,
He loved to play & jump & shout,
Free as a bird he would race about,
As the years went by he learned and grew,
And became a man as you will too.

He was fine & strong with a boyish smile,
But he seemed with us such a little while,
When War broke out he went away,
I still remember his face that day,
When he smiled at me and said goodbye,
I’ll be back soon mum please dont cry.

But the War went on & he had to stay,
All I could do was wait & pray,
His letters told of the awful fight,
I can see it in my dreams at night,
With tanks & guns & cruel barbed wire,
And the mines,bullets bombs & fire.

Till at last the War was won,
And that’s why we wear a poppy son,
The small boy turned as if to go,
Then said thanks Lady i’m glad to know,
That sure did sound an awful fight,
But did your son come back alright.

A tear rolled down each faded cheek,
She shook her head but did not speak,
I slunk away in a sort of shame,
And if you were me you’d have done the same,
For our thanks in giving is oft delayed,
Though our freedom was bought & thousands paid.

And so when we see a poppy worn,
Let us reflect on the burden borne,
By those who gave their very all,
When asked to answer their Country’s call,
That we at home in peace might live,
Then wear a poppy…remember and give.

• 11 Nov, 2011
• 11 likes

More blog posts by joanella