Botanical PaperWorks

Remembrance Day is a way to pay tribute to the individuals who made the ultimate sacrifice by giving their lives to protect their nations. The day also educates future generations about the impact of war, the lessons learned from past conflicts, and the importance of peace and diplomacy for the future. The poem In Flanders Fields is often read across the world at schools and during ceremonies to honor the day. Though John McCrae captures the emotions of the day, below are a few other poems that you may never heard before. This poetry conveys emotion and transcends time. Below you'll find images of the poems that you can share with friends and family, as well as text-based versions so you can print them out if you like. (To further honour the day and grow wildflowers, we suggest using seed paper that grows when planted.) High Flight Oh! I have slipped the surly bonds of earth And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings; Sunward I've climbed, and joined the tumbling mirth Of sun-split clouds - and done a hundred things You have not dreamed of - wheeled and soared and swung High in the sunlit silence. Hov'ring there, I've chased the shouting wind along, and flung My eager craft through footless halls of air... Up, up the long, delirious, burning blue I've topped the wind-swept heights with easy grace Where never lark, or even eagle flew - And, while with silent lifting mind I've trod The high untrespassed sanctity of space, Put out my hand and touched the face of God. - Officer John G. Magee, Jr. - November, 1941 The City's Oldest Known Survivor of the Great War marches in uniform down the traffic stripe at the center of the street, counts time to the unseen web that has rearranged the air around him, his left hand stiff as a leather strap along his side, the other saluting right through the decades as if they weren't there, as if everyone under ninety were pervasive fog the morning would dispel in its own good time, as if the high school band all flapping thighs and cuffs behind him were as ghostly as the tumbleweed on every road dead-ended in the present, all the ancient infantry shoulder right, through a skein of bone, presenting arms across the drift, nothing but empty graves now to round off another century, the sweet honey of the old cadence, the streets going by at attention, the banners glistening with dew, the wives and children blowing kisses. -James Doyle Armistice The water sings along our keel, The wind falls to a whispering breath; I look into your eyes and feel No fear of life or death; So near is love, so far away The losing strife of yesterday. We watch the swallow skim and dip; Some magic bids the world be still; Life stands with finger upon lip; Love hath his gentle will; Though hearts have bled, and tears have burned, The river floweth unconcerned. We pray the fickle flag of truce Still float deceitfully and fair; Our eyes must love its sweet abuse; This hour we will not care, Though just beyond to-morrow's gate, Arrayed and strong, the battle wait. -Sophie Jewett from "1915: The Trenches" All night long we lie Stupidly watching the smoke puff over the sky, Stupidly watching the interminable stars Come out again, peaceful and cold and high, Swim into the smoke again, or melt in a flare of red… All night long, all night long, Hearing the terrible battle of guns, We smoke our pipes, we think we shall soon be dead, We sleep for a second, and wake again, We dream we are filling pans and baking bread, Or hoeing the witch-grass out of the wheat, We dream we are turning lathes, Or open our shops, in the early morning, And look for a moment along the quiet street… And we do not laugh, though it is strange In a harrowing second of time To traverse so many worlds, so many ages, And come to this chaos again, This vast symphonic dance of death, This incoherent dust. -Conrad Aiken 1899-1973 Indian Veterans We are the forgotten,Of the “lest we forget” We are invisibleGhosts from The Rez We had no obligation to join,We had to give up our treaty status.We fought, we died. Our language was used for secret messages.We stood side by side with the other soldiers in our victory. We were cast aside when we came back home.We didn’t get the benefits allotted to other veterans;We didn’t know where to live since we gave up our treaty status We were the forgotten,Of the “lest we forget”We were the invisible ghosts from The Rez. -Solomon Ratt One Thousand Men Are Walking One thousand men are walkingWalking side by sideSinging songs from homeThe spirit as their guidethey walk toward the light milordthey walk towards the sunthey smoke and laugh and smile togetherno foes to outrunthese men live on foreverin the hearts of those they saveda nation truly gratefulfor the path of peace they pavedthey march as friends and comradesbut they do not march for warstep closer to salvationa tranquil steady corpsthe meadows lit with golden beamsa beacon for the bravethe emerald grass untrampleda reward for what they gavethey dream of those they left behindand know they dream of themforever in those poppy fieldsthere walks one thousand men. -Joshua Dyer