Rememberance Day

M wrote this poem when she was at secondary school it was chosen to appear in a poetry book for young writers in the West Midlands thought it was appropriate for today.

THE LETTER

When I wrote that letter
To families near and far
I could hardly imagine
The hearts that would be broken
And the tears that would fall.

'My son he died a hero,'
That's what she would be telling them.
He may have been a fool
But who would wish it upon
A lad like him.

He was always cheerful
Never without a smile on his face.
He never failed to raise our spirits
Until that fateful day.

The poor lad he misread a command
And over the top into no- man's land
Shot down by a Jerry
Another body to bury
Among the fields of Flanders.

And now many years on
All that remains of that lad
Is a simple white cross
In a sea full of red
A constant reminder of
The blood that was she'd
And the thousands of dead.