In Flanders Fields by John McCrae

In Flanders Fields

In Flanders Fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place: and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved:
and now we lie in Flanders fields!

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

I really don't like reading poetry, but when I have to such as helping Sutchy with his English task or preparing a lesson for my students relating to ANZAC Day, I find poetry is the most beautiful literary medium.  Somehow, I find poetic enjoyment is related to the time it takes to unpack the poem and find out about the poet's circumstances and writing motivation.

     Here's a bit about John McCrae; 

     John McCrae (1872-1918) was born in Ontario, Canada.  He was a surgeon during in World War 1.  He was also a soldier poet, author and artist.  He served in the Boer War from 1899-1901 and was disgusted by the treatment of sick and injured soldiers.

     In Flanders Fields is the best known and most revered war memorial poem.  McCrae wrote In Flanders Fields quickly on May 3, 1915 in the back of an ambulance after the funeral of his former student and friend, Lieutenant Alex Helmer who was killed in the Second Battle of Ypres. 

     The theme of the poem is we, as citizens, have responsibility to protect our country and our freedom and we should be ready to fight for what we love.  Another them is to remember those people who died fighting or they will never rest.

     The central feature of the poem is poppies that thrived in the in the spoiled earth of the battlefields and cemeteries of Flanders.
     McCrae had always suffered from asthma and by late 1917 his health had deteriorated.  In January, 1918 he developed pneumonia and meningitis and died.  It is likely he would have survived had antibiotics been discovered, but that was two decades away.