We Stood Remembering Poem by Deanna Samuels

At the eleventh hour on the eleventh day of the eleventh month, we stood

We stood remembering,
we stood remembering those courageous heroes,
soldiers, sailors, airmen, the armed forces of whatever rank
who fought and gave their lives yesterday for our protection and our future of today

We stood remembering,
we stood remembering the firefighters, the home guard, the Resistance the medics, the reporters, the countless civilians, the millions herded to their deaths,
the unsung righteous, the innocence caught up in conflict not of their making

We stood remembering,
we stood remembering at the town's Cenotaph where wreathes of bright red poppies stood in remembrance of all those
who have fallen in long gone wars and to the present

We stood remembering,
we stood remembering with our heads bowed low
in reverence for not only those who gave the ultimate sacrifice
but for those who were wounded, the hardship of recovery or enduring mar

We stood remembering,
we stood remembering as one body, all of us,
the mayor, local counsellors and dignitaries, the crowd of local people
coming together for that moment of time

We stood remembering,
we stood remembering during those sad melancholy strains
from a lone bugle softly trumpeting The Last Post, of those that we ourselves have lost
among our own families and friends

We stood remembering
we stood remembering, in silence, the somber of the moment and meaning before us
while the brisk November wind blew through the nearby trees
rustling the last few remaining brown and fading leaves

We stood remembering,
we stood remembering while a veteran soldier with an aide at his side
and a young army officer laid wreathes for The Unknown Solider and for those who have been lost in all past wars

We stood remembering,
we stood remembering and heard the simple service and lesson given, embracing all beliefs and thoughts,
to strive for peace throughout mankind and remembering always this day of 11th November each year as a day of remembrance

We stood remembering,
we stood remembering during the Act of Remembrance, special poems read and many wreathes laid upon the Cenotaph, proudly sang National Anthem and the commemoration concluded with the firing of a 21 gun salute

We stood remembering,
we stood remembering the poignancy, the meaning, the sadness of the past during the short time we had been gathered together and now, the large group of people gradually dispersed going about their own complex lives once more


At the eleventh hour on the eleventh day of the eleventh month, we stood
We stood remembering
We will remember them