Poppies On The Ground

By Norman Glowach © Nov 11, 2007 & 2008

I stood in silence as flakes of snow gently floated down

Watching the all night vigil in our peaceful little town

I could see an old man walking where I had just crossed

He looked like he was searching for something he had lost

I walked over to him and asked if anything was wrong

With gentle voice he answered, “Could you help me walk along”

A bunch of tattered poppies were pinned to his lapel

He said he picked them off the ground, silent where they fell

Red poppies scattered on the ground

In the strangest of places waiting to be found

Some are in pieces and need a little care

Each one reminds us of sacrifice elsewhere.

He said he liked that poppies fell from coats to the earth

Laying there waiting until they are rescued from the dirt

In banks of snow, down in the mud, silently they lay

Until someone picks them up and is reminded of this day

Each poppy should remind us of a life that’s gone before

Of shattered dreams and duty to a country that’s at war

So take the time and notice the poppies you walk by

Pick them up off the ground and honour those who’ve died

Red poppies scattered on the ground

In the strangest of places waiting to be found

Some are in pieces and need a little care

Each one reminds us of sacrifice elsewhere.