In Normandy, the poppies blow
between abundance, row on row,
of wheat and maize and apple trees
that rustle in the ocean breeze.
The war was sixty years ago.
The battle raged for weeks, both foe
and new invaders came to go.
The farms and towns returned to peace
in Normandy.
The headstones ranked in graveyards show
the cost of war. Those sons below
the earth gave youthful life for these,
their brothers, who by industries
have made their sacrifices glow
in Normandy.
Author notes
Beginning lines echo a famous rondeau, In Flanders Fields by John McCrae.
In a list
A contest entry
- Lest We Forget by Cupcrazy.
1750 points, ended November 23, 2008, 17 entries
Honorable mention
• next poem in this contest, remove from contest
Thank you for reading!
Comments
1 - 21 of 21
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This is very beautiful - I love this form and I love Normandy. As I think you know, I visited the Canadian servicemen's memorial in Dieppe and was very moved by the area. All the best.
In Remembrance.
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Thank you
No Marcy, you rarely tell me anything that personal. We went to Dieppe too. If you are up that way again, visit the Canadian museum at Juno Beach.
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By using a reference to the famous WWI poem, you have captured the universality and continued devastation of war. It seems as if each generation has its own battles and its own heroes.
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A beautiful entry and a wonderful use of form. I loved the echoing of "Flanders Fields". it adds so much to the piece by immediately placing our minds and hearts in those faraway fields. Excellent. Hugs, Bunny
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Thank you Bunny. The rondeau is one of my favorite forms, and this one was written in Normandy in 2007. The wind off the sea is cold even in summer, but the land is rich and well tended. I'm glad you like this poem, thank you for honorable mention in your Remembrance Day contest.
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I love this, the cadence and flow are amazing as well as the structure. Beautifuly written well done.
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Thank you Fabienne. The rondeau form does this for me, I'm happy you like it.
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A friend said to me today that until we understand history we will not change it and history will repeat itself. I think of the sons sacrificed, the cost of war, and the greed that always instigates the battles.
It is so strange how flowers bloom undisturbed with the wheat and corn and apple trees, and the whispers of the slain lie in their midst
Margaret, I am chilled reading this. It is written in a lovely cadence, though, and leaves a proper air of finality.
Lest we forget, indeed! ~ Karen 
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Thank you for your lovely comment, Karen. Poppies grow in Europe as wildflowers, almost like daisies in North America, they are omnipresent. The scarlet petals pop out of the green and golden fields. In the Commonwealth, in November, everyone wears them for remembrance.
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I also wrote a poem about these poppies ...
but how you gave it a twist to purpose and peaceful times. Well done!
Love
Myra
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The poppies represent the past, the present is bread and cider.
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Dear Sweetpea, I remember the war even though I was very young, we used to have to go to the pictures to watch the newsreels about the war. The battle of Normandy would have been one of them. So many mothers lost their Sons who were buried in the fields over there. It's something you never get over, the pain eases in time and life goes on.
A fine poem my dear Friend.
Love Joan
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I was born 12 years after the war ended, but my father was a veteran and continued to serve until I was 18. Remembrance Day is still observed with solemnity in our schools, though children do not understand it well and hopefully will never experience it.
We took a trip to Normandy in 2007 - it is beautiful farming country, with memorials and graveyards every other mile. It was a terrible time, but as you say, peace heals all. Thank you for your wonderful reflection on the poem.
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i love it, and the echoing of "in Flanders Fields" adds a lot to the piece, it sounds like something that could have been written on the battlefield, very powerful
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Thank you dustytiger!
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this is wonderful. thank you so much for entering
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Thank you 'Piccola', I'm happy you enjoyed it.
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Outstanding
This is a fine poem that remembers the war but celebrates peace as well:
The farms and towns returned to peace
in Normandy.
The rhyme is well-chosen and the poem flows beautifully. I like poetry that celebrates other writers achivements and gives something back. Over all an artistic poem with some depth and thought behind it.
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Thank you for your lovely comment and applause RWD.
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The present reflects the past, yet the past is dead and buried. The flower is fed by the roots deep underground.
A sweet, encouraging and respectful tribute to both the lives given and John McCrae's classic.
Be peace,
Rahad
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Thank you Rahad, you always look deeply.
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