Moina Michael

Although my countdown is over there are still 3 more days to go until Armistice day on the 11th, so I will continue my poetry until then

My book World War One in Verse is still available, please inbox me.

Moina Michael

‘In Flanders field’ by John McCrae,
is quoted on Remembrance day,
All about the poppy flower,
the symbolism, and the power
of those who gave their lives away.

Moina worked hard for the YMCA.
In New York city she worked all day,
In a cold November nineteen eighteen,
One young soldier, spotless and clean.
dropped ‘Ladies home Journal’ in her tray.

She read a poem, ‘We shall not sleep’
how poppies through the mud would creep,
and brave men who saw the sunset glow,
dead in Flanders in ground below,
Reading on, she began to weep.

She read:

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 field.

With handkerchief she dabbed her eye,
Read of the larks up in the sky,
Into the air, still bravely singing,
toward crosses they were winging,
And then she sat, wrote this reply.

Her reply:

Oh you who sleep in Flanders field,
Sweet sleep – to rise anew,
We caught the torch you threw,
and holding high, we keep the faith,
with all who died.

Three delegates within the room,
while passing by, noted the gloom,
Paid ten dollars for the flowers,
“To make your day, as you made ours,
providing all those lovely blooms”

‘I’ll buy more blooms with this’ she said,
‘I’ll buy them for those men who bled’,
She showed the poem and her reply,
one man wiped a tear from his eye,
She left to find some poppies red.

She searched and searched then found her prize,
just twenty five to her surprise,
One very large, the others were small.
She carried them back to the hall,
and was soon surrounded by the guys.

‘I’ll take one’ every man would say,
‘I’ll wear it with pride, every day,’
She gave them out, till all were gone,
then she remembered the large one,
in her buttonhole she displayed.

That was when her mission began
to adopt the poppy for every man,
recognise, they’d given their all,
fought for their country, heard its call
So Moinas campaign ran and ran.

The US Legion took on the cause,
To honor those home from the wars,
Nineteen twenty, the voting ran,
Every old soldier, every man,
took the poppy and opened doors.

So this November, don’t avoid,
Remember those brave men who died,
Think of Moina who slaved for years,
Think of families who shed their tears,
Wear your poppy, WEAR IT WITH PRIDE.

Lest we forget. At 11.00am today for just two minutes stop what you are doing, go to your front door and stand in silence for all those men, women and countless civilians who paid the ultimate sacrifice so you can stand in freedom.

Eric Harvey 08/11/2020