Remembrance - The Meaning Of The Red Poppy Poem by Paul Warren

At the end of the Great War with so many dead
People showed their grief as their tears were shed
John McCrae had penned 'In Flanders Fields'
Where the poppies amongst the crosses yielded

So the red poppy became the chosen symbol
As the British Royal Legion adopted it for all
And they employed disabled War veterans
To make the poppies for their remembrance blend

But what did the poppy mean for those grieving ones?
The red of the petals showed the sacrifice of battle won
The black centre was for the family and friends in grief's loss
The green leaves symbolised the peace in green fields for what it cost

Today when you buy and wear a red poppy in your remembrance way
Or on the 25th of April when we think of the Gallipoli Landing Day
The poppy can be worn on your right or left breast it doesn't matter to say
At an angle to remember the Eleventh Hour of the Eleventh Day

© Paul Warren Poetry