Rememberance Day 11/11/2008

PLEASE WEAR A POPPY.
Please wear a poppy, the lady said
And held one forth, but I shook my head.
Then I stopped and watched as she offered them there,
And her face was old and 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 on care-free feet.
His smile was full of joy and fun,
"Lady," said he, "may I have one?"
When she's pinned one on he turned to say
"Why do we wear a poppy today?"
The lady smiled in her wistful way
And answered, "This is Remembrance Day
And the poppy there is the symbol for
The gallant men who died in war.
And because they did, you and I are free
That's 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 and jump and 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 and strong, with a boyish smile
But he'd seemed with us such a little while
When war broke out and he went away.
I still remember his face that day
When he smiled at me and said, Goodbye,
I'll be back soon, Mom, so please don't cry.
"But the war went on and he had to stay,
And all I could do was wait and pray.
His letters told of the awful fight,
(I can see it still in my dreams at night),
With the tanks and guns and cruel barbed wire,
And the mines and bullets, the bombs and fire.
"Till at last, 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 like an awful fight,
But your son - did he come back all right?"
A tear rolled down each faded check;
She shook her head, but didn't 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, if oft delayed,
Thought our freedom was bought - and 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
To wear a POPPY --- REMEMBER and GIVE

Oh! You who sleep in Flanders' fields,
Sleep sweet - to rise anew,
We caught the torch you threw,
And holding high we kept
The faith with those who died.
We cherish too, the poppy red
That grows on fields where valour led.

It seems to signal to the skies
That blood of heroes never dies,
But lends a lustre to the red
Of the flower that blooms above the dead
In Flanders' fields.

And now the torch and poppy red
Wear in honour of our dead.
Fear not that ye have died for naught
We've learned the lesson that ye taught
In Flanders' fields.

( will do a couple more tomorrow when I am more awake)

The bright red poppy we'll wear with pride,
You, who fought for your country, and died,
Fighting for freedom a terrible price to pay,
Carrying out your duty's forever and today,

Parents worry, will we see our son again,
The tortured anguish and emotional pain,
We all hope one day that wars will cease,
And this world people will all live in peace.

 =========================

An old soldier reminisces about his time during the war,
Dad told me about the first one and bodies by the score,
What is the point of a war dad when a man kills another,
An officer calls and breaks the news, to you and mother,

The young officer tells the parents their son was a hero,
He risked his life for us we are in debt to him you know,
The young officer tells the parents he'll be very missed,
Father says, thank you son our lad knew of those risks,

I served my time in the 2nd world war & i made friends,
I'm in touch with a few, some paid the price, in the end,
I'll always consider myself to be one of the lucky ones,
I've come close a few times i can tell you, war's no fun,

On the sunday at eleven o'clock, I'll do my march past,
Mix with old comrades who knows it may be their last,
I'm an old soldier, I've seen all that i ever want to see,
Those bloody wars all we ever wanted was to be free.

Add me to the soppy moo list Lyn.

The older I get, the weepier I get, and life it too short to hold back your tender emotions.

Having grown up post war, with family that lived and died in both the world wars, I am ever grateful for their sacrifice, and as a family, we make sure, in our own little way, that they are never forgotten.