In Flanders Field
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.
Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae
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It is Memorial Day in America. Originally called Decoration Day, it is a day of remembrance for those who have died in our nation's service.
The above poem was written during WW I by a Canadian after witnessing the death of his friend during battle. The poppies he refers to grew in profusion in Flanders in the disturbed earth of the battlefields and cemeteries where war casualties were buried and it became a symbol of the British Common Wealth's Remembrance Day, which signifies the end of WW I.
The poem also inspired Professor Moina Micheal to publish her own poem called We Keep the Faith in tribute to the opening lines of McCrae's poem — "In Flanders fields the poppies blow / Between the crosses row on row."
She then vowed to always wear a red poppy as a symbol of remembrance for those who served in the war. As part of her effort, she sold red poppies to friends and relatives and donated the proceeds to service personnel in need. Her tradition was so successful, that it became a tradition to wear a red poppy in honor of those who died serving this nation during war.
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Wishing you a most beautiful day, wherever this may find you!
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