Poppies

These poppies are blooming in our back yard. They are so cheery and bright. Many years ago John McCrae wrote the poem, In Flander's Field:

In Flanders Fields the poppies blow,
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky,
The larks, still bravely singing, fly,
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the dead.
Short days ago,
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved and now we lie,
In Flanders Fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe.
To you, from falling 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 Fields.

Since that time, the poppy has come to be associated with war. Did you know that poppies were first distributed by the Veterans of Foreign Wars before Memorial Day in 1922. In 1923, disabled and needy veterans began to make and sell the paper poppies to provide them financial assistance. For many years I have seen the veterans standing at major intersections selling their poppies on Memorial Day weekend. Somehow I missed them this year. We all owe them big time!