Upon The Poppy Field

On Remembrance Day, we honor the veterans and the casualties of war. It is now, more than ever, that we must remember the cost that can never be paid off.

Where blood doth soak that forbidden ground

The field where worlds are torn apart

Where souls are lost, and minds are snapped

And bullets burrow into hearts

Among the swaying poppies, abandoned

Lie the dregs of draining light

With empty faces, darkened, hollow eyes

Cast deeper into sorrow's might

And smoke upon the clearing lies

So heavy as to hold one's breath

And silence here remains unbroken

But for the cries of whispered death

Cast away like bullet casings

Tools of war, rusted, decayed 

Light bought in pain and bereft wailing

Graves marked by poppies still unswayed

For tears no longer hold their worth

Confronted by the darkened maze

And blazing trumpet only mourns

The hallowed passing of the days

But worse a fate than death and earth

To break thy being on the field

And lost forever, sanity and limb

To hold thy mind but never wield

Pockmarked on hearts and skin and smile

Forever holds the horrors here

For though that draining light may die

Ghosts walk the length of every tear

And men, weighed down by beating hearts

So plagued by ghosts and shadows of war

Eternally cursed by cold, searing memory 

That others burn forevermore

Reviews

[emmajoy]

' Among the swaying poppies, abandoned .. Lie the dregs of draining light .. With empty faces, darkened, hollow eyes .. Cast deeper into sorrow's might ..'

That war, the First, lies heavily on the British memory and awareness. Maybe the conscience. And when at the Cenotaph and even not far from here, I see a few old, old men - some still straight.backed and others sat in wheelchairs,,remembering their fallen comrades - i feel such respect and deep, deep sadness. Your honest, gentle words are so moving.. they're deeply felt.. especially that final stanza.

[The Hampstead Poet]

Thank you very much for your kind words, I am very glad that my words moved you and reminded you of the veterans at this somber time. It is wonderful that so many remember the cost of these tragedies, both those gone and those left behind. Thank you again for taking the time to review my work.

[icelandicblue]

You capture all the tragedy of the living and the dead. As the wisps of smoke disappear and blood soaks into the ground we must look to the stones and the poppies and remember. I was most struck by this stanza:

And men, weighed down by beating hearts
So plagued by ghosts and shadows of war
Eternally cursed by cold, searing memory
That others burn forevermore

We should remember for the survivors, the dead and their families as well as for our futures. Well done on this somber day.

[The Hampstead Poet]

Thank you very much, I am glad you appreciated my piece. My intent was to capture the true cost of war, and to remember the survivors of these tragedies on this day. Thanks again for your kind words!