Poppies for Peace

by gnj4uBoston, Massachusetts, USA

Nov 2012 872 Views 13 comments

Poppies for Peace

Author: gnj4u

Take up our quarrel with the foe
you speak in voices of the dead.
Our battles fought not to win at war
rather win at peace, the Prophet said.

The torch; be yours to hold it high.
On this, certainly, we can agree.
When the torch shines for freedom
for you to be you and me to be me.

Veterans put their lives on the line
paving pathways to build up peace.
Replace dogma bricks with diplomacy
ensure goodness wins, not ends in defeat.

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
seeds of memory scattered through air.
White crosses lattice the landscape
great losses human hearts must bear.

It’s poppies for peace I want to see
swaying their message in gentle breeze
reminding us of the price we pay when
love sits back and fighting does the deed.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Posted: Nov 2012

About this poem:

The italicized words are from John McCrae's "In Flanders Field" posted by hedistuff.

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Comments (13)

Ladybee42East Liverpool, Ohio USANov 11, 2012

A lovely tribute Joy

Yankee4youSt. Albans, Vermont USANov 11, 2012

Here's one veteran who really agrees with you......just wonderful sentiments through and through...thank you for your poem.....I loved it....

EarlgreyteaLimassol, CyprusNov 12, 2012

lovely, heartfelt tribute, being a war-veteran myself, i appreciate this...

AhyraAdelaide, South Australia AustraliaNov 12, 2012

Very nice tribute gnj, I have enjoyed reading this, thank you

FellsmanLake District, Cumbria, England UKNov 12, 2012

Hi GNJ

This beautiful poetry which you produced on Remembrance Sunday is a very fitting tribute to the fallen, and to those who have suffered the most appalling injuries in defence of our freedoms.

Best wishes

Bill

Poetnumber1St James, Port of Spain Trinidad and TobagoNov 12, 2012

One word...''Excellent!!''

gnj4uOPBoston, Massachusetts USANov 12, 2012

Hi, niah9, Ladybee42, Yankee4you, Earlgreytea, Ahyra, Fellsman, and Poetnumber1, It is with deep appreciation that I receive your generous comments. I thank each of you. niah9, I had never heard of the selling of poppies before reading your comment with its historical info. Hi, Yankee4you and Earlgreytea, Thank you both for your military service. It gives me great pleasure to have written something you consider a suitable tribute on Veterans' Day. I am grateful to you and all Veterans who have worked and sacrificed, and continue to do so, to ensure a better world for all.

windyweatherlySan Francisco, California USANov 13, 2012

A beautiful write my dear Joy. If this lines would be applied by all the people in the world, all nation, all creature, then for sure there is no casualty in maintaining peace. It is of course, easier said than done but it is possible..

Thanks for sharing.

Take up our quarrel with the foe
you speak in voices of the dead.
Our battles fought not to win at war
rather win at peace, the Prophet said

windyweatherlySan Francisco, California USANov 13, 2012

gnj4uOPBoston, Massachusetts USANov 14, 2012

Hi, windyweatherly,
Thank you for your generous comment. (I got double the pleasure from it!) Yes, it would be nice were peace, love, health and happiness enjoyed by all. And, since I reside on the same planet as you, it does remain possible...

rachaminNorthampton, Massachusetts USAJan 10, 2013

Very, very nice. In the Hebrew bible, the first word of the first book (commonly known as "Genesis") can be tranlated variously as "In the beginning" or several other things including "With wisdom" (This is because in biblical Hebrew only the consonants are fixed, while the vowels depend on context.) In fact, the very first letter of the very first word of this book that all monotheists regard as quite sacred is the letter "B", which in Hebrew can be the preposition "with". I struggle against the belief that nouns (like 'war', 'enemy', 'freedom') have some sort of unchanging status, and that verbs sort of 'modify' universal principles. The word WITH is a term of RELATIONSHIPS and that strikes me more of what reality is composed of, that nothing is 'set in stone'.

But you might say, "Relationships between what, then? Between nouns of course, silly!"

Hmmm. Well, what if the "love that does NOT sit back and let fighting do the deed" is a system of relationships existing with - - - - other relationships??

cherryreggaebayside, New York USAJan 10, 2013

Such a lovely tribute !! It's heartfelt to me as an employee for veterans...thanks for sharing GNU4u:

::cheering:

gnj4uOPBoston, Massachusetts USAJan 10, 2013

Hi, rachamin, Whereas I view the world as containing more good than evil (with, perhaps, most things being neutral - which I place on the "good" side), others may well view it with a binary-opposites lens. Whether it's situation ethics or the relationship of one to another (person or thing or noun), for me, there is a sense of relativity - whether real or merely perceived. Hi, cherryreggae, Although I am not an advocate of war, I am thankful for those veterans who put their lives on the line with the hope to secure and maintain a state of peace. I am pleased that you connected positively with my post. Thank you for the work you do on behalf of our veterans. To both, Thank you for taking the time to read and comment.

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