Red and Black

Red and Black (11^th November, 2015).

Are they standing silent, out in the crowd,

Ghosts of the soldiers that made us so proud?

Nephews and fathers and brothers and sons,

Shattered and broken by bombs, shells and guns.

Red for the wounded, and black for the dead,

The poppies are laid as I bow my head;

Two minutes’ silence is all that they get –

A snippet of time, a world of regret.

Remember the day – we called it an end,

November eleventh, but it’s pretend;

All over the Earth, the wars never cease,

Humanity cannot seem to find peace.

So come, all ye living, show your respect,

We are the ones that should never forget –

Wear red for the fallen, black for the lost;

Try not to fear what tomorrow might cost.

Jennifer Pickup