Eiken Laan Poet Free verse

Remembering World War 1

William Thomas Pickering, 2nd Battalion Royal Fusiliers, G/3371 born 1881 died 1916 
Commemorated by name on the Thiepval Memorial, France.



Remembrance day ..
A field of bright red poppies dance
As I walk hand in hand with my children
Through the battle fields of the Somme
In my pocket, I have a bunch of wheat
A token memory from where he fell
At peace, to have walked where he walked

As the poppies begin to fade....
I hear the thunder of guns, shrieking shells
I see a vast sea of dismembered bodies
A No-Man’s Land of mud and wire
A military display of fireworks dispersing
Casting light on this horrific hell on earth

For underneath the poppies lie, the remains
Of so many men who died, blown to pieces;
Where a river of blood will forever bleed
Passed on from generation to generation
The great loss of war, which nobody wins
As I remember my Great-Grandfather
William Thomas Pickering.....

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Deb Radke January 15, 2011 at 8:58 AM Excellent. I hope this poem will be published somewhere to keep the memories alive; a tribute to the men and women who fought and died, the families who lost so much. It was a horrendous war. I wonder how many people still remember... Congratulations on your winning placement. Very well deserved. Deb

Carol Sunshine Brown January 14, 2011 at 9:45 AM Congratulations on your well deserved win Eiken in Carolyn Devonshire's contest "Dazzle Us With History". Love, Carol

Ralph Taylor January 14, 2011 at 7:52 AM Congrats, Eiken. Outstanding write. Great tribute. Ralph

Eiken Laan January 14, 2011 at 1:41 AM THANK YOU everyone for your kind comments. My Great Grandfather lives on and he did not die in vain. He will be forever remembered. I appreciate your comments so much and am so happy to have been part of this competition, thanks to Carolyn for this great idea. PEACE to all:))))

Barbara Gorelick January 13, 2011 at 5:40 PM This is so reminiscent of the poem Flanders Fields..I love it..to my favs for sure. I was moved by the line about carrying wheat.. ;you should be very proud. BG

Sara Kendrick January 13, 2011 at 2:07 PM Good one commenorating your great-grandfather..Congratulations..Sara

James Fraser January 13, 2011 at 12:23 PM Eiken, congratulations on your most worthy win in the contest with this harrowing piece on the Great War. Your words really hit home as you tell us of the grim reality that faced the fighting man. Even more finding out that your Great Grandfather was lost there. I enjoyed this well written piece first time I read it, well done....:)

Eamon Duffin January 13, 2011 at 12:15 PM Hi M. Delighted with your well deserved 7th in the contest. I really liked this the first time that I read and it inspired me to write Flanders Fields. Superb tribute to your Great- Grandfather. I am honoured to get there behind this piece. Congratulations again. Eamon

John Freeman January 13, 2011 at 11:59 AM Eiken, Congratulations on your worthy poem's place. Agape, Moses

Joyce Johnson January 13, 2011 at 10:20 AM A wonderful write for your grandparent. Congratulations. Love, Joyce

Carolyn Devonshire January 13, 2011 at 9:59 AM Eiken, Congratulations on your win with this outstanding poem. James and I judged separately assigning points to all entries and the competition was incredible. Just tabulating the rankings took hours. Take pride in your accomplishment. Love, Carolyn

Jimmy Anderson January 11, 2011 at 7:07 PM Very nice memorial poem...Jimmy

Carolyn Devonshire January 11, 2011 at 7:58 AM A touching poem, Eiken. Thank you for supporting the contest. Best wishes, Carolyn

Linda-Marie Sweetheart January 11, 2011 at 6:03 AM A poignant write Eiken .. good luck if entered into the new contest my friend.. enjoyed this tale so well written from your creative pen..with luv..

Anthony Nutter January 11, 2011 at 2:59 AM So many died, and for what? So others could live free, so we could live without persecution. Let their deaths not be in vain. No one wins in war, except the ones left free to walk through the fields and remember the price our loved ones paid. Excellent write.