More importantly, November 11th

[nwhiker]

In Flanders Fields
John McCrae - 1872-1918

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.

See this post, written last year. Nothing much has changed, though you could add Republicans and MAGA white supremacy to covid as the plagues half of Americans are siding with.

Comments

[camelsamba]

We went to Guelph this past summer (stayed nearby in Kitchener) and while researching things to do, I saw references to him. I must admit the main reason I recognize his name is because you regularly post this! So thank you for making me more culturally literate.

[nwhiker]

Glad to contribute. :-) I first read that poem in middle school equivalent. The history and geography teacher, while we were neck deep in World War I battles, dropped a crappy Xerox of it on my desk with the comment of 'you speak English, read this.' He was otherwise an ass, but damn if that poem didn't bring something else to my perspective and interest in the rest of the WWI studies. We read _All Quiet on the Western Front_ at about the same time in French, in French class and I honestly feel that those two bits of reading, followed a few years later by Camus's _The Plague_ changed my view of the world and history, and the lessons learned there are some of the fundamental ones that made me who I am.