In Flanders Fields
BY JOHN MCCRAE

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 failing 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.

This is some of the most impactful English prose ever written.

Had to recite that in class in the 7nth grade.

Didn't get it then.

I used to like watching war documentaries. Now I get ill just thinking of all the young men who died, their lives cut short. Many just over 18

I first heard those words as a teen over a decade ago reading a Bond novel (one of the newer ones, not Fleming) and it has stuck with me ever since. Knowing more of the history now makes it even more powerful...thanks for sharing.

The bunker turned advanced dressing station in which McCrae wrote that is preserved still, as well as the makeshift cemetery behind it.  Definitely worth the visit if you're near Ieper.

Great area. Before covid travel restrictions. Don't think I'll ever go overseas again now.