ANOTHER REMEMBRANCE DAY is about to come and go. As Canadians get ready to remember previous wars fought and current ones ongoing, some U of O students decided to take this time to write poems inspired by this special day. Whether it’s images of Flander’s Fields or visions of the war in Afghanistan, the writers were inspired by what remembering means to them.
Are the Poppies Still Blowing?
Are the poppies still blowing
On a windy day?
Are the larks still singing
When there’s nothing left to say?
I wonder whose side they were singing for.
I suppose there is just dismay
In a sky of war.
How many crosses
To win a war?
How many poppies
Were there before?
I’m sorry you couldn’t hear the larks,
Over the gunfire galore.
I hope you sleep
Lieutenant McCrae,
I haven’t lost my faith.
I pin my collar every year
With a velvet flower
For your fear
For your pluck
And for your pride
My every step and every stride
Is safe because of those who lie
In Flanders Fields.
—Megan McLaren
Remember
The clock stands still while we stand
And I stand in remembrance for those who can’t
It’s the eleventh hour of the eleventh day
In this moment I remember roles they have played
Fallen Canadians who valiantly fought
Forever remember what they have brought
I remember what I have not seen, but know
Seasons change, years pass, and poppies continue to grow
As the horn blows and we are brought into silence
I remember images of yesterday and today’s violence
Wars are still fought and peace far from achieved
But on this day we remember and it is gratitude we give
—Sofia Hashi
I won’t forget
“I won’t forget,” is what I say
It’s what I promise on this day
Yet with each passing week
My memory grows weak
The day becomes a distant memory
Foggy and an indistinct reality
“I won’t forget,” I fervently promise
It’s the eleventh again and I have forgotten
The oath I swore becomes nothing but words
Words I say but don’t do and lie unheard
The day has become a distant memory
Foggy and an indistinct reality
“I won’t forget,” because the truth is I can’t
Dying soldiers aren’t of the past
But a sad picture that has been cast
So say you’ll remember
Wear your poppy forever
Invisibly engraved within your mind
Don’t let another Remembrance Day
Become a distant memory of the mind
—Sofia Hashi
Remembrance Day
The True North Strong and Free
Indeed we are Free
Because of Thee
You birthed on this Canadian soil
You died for this Canadian soil
We will Never Forget your Toil
We Stand on Guard for Thee
Moving forward from where you lay still
We Shall Fight till
Your Dreams became Reality
Today we Celebrate Fallen Soldiers
All who died so we could Live
We Revel In Your Victory
We Honor your Bravery
Our Memory we shall surely Give
To our Children and Theirs for all years
God Keep Our Land Glorious And Free
Oh Canada!
We Stand On Guard For Thee!
—Tiolu Adedipe
In Fields Where Poppies Grow
Brave soldier, standing tall,
The guardian of peace;
You left home at 17,
a child with a hero’s dream.
Brave soldier, unafraid
of combat, of the terrors
in this wasteland, this
hell that we call war.
Brave soldier, full of courage,
Protecting freedom for us all.
You fought battles, wounded men,
You killed, and were killed.
Brave soldier, gone too soon,
Your sacrifice will live
forever in the memories
of those you left behind.
Brave soldier, lie in peace.
Now you can rest,
where the birds sing once again
In fields where poppies grow.
—Kiera Obbard
