How can one small red poppy which we wear on our lapels carry so much meaning? The Battle of Ypres left buried in makeshift graves thousands of young men who gave their lives for freedom. From these poppy-laden fields emerged a simple symbol crying, “Never again war”!
It was Canadian physician Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae who raised the poppy to prominence exactly one century ago. His poem, “In Flanders Fields,” penned on the Ypres battle field in 1915, immortalized the fallen soldiers who were buried hastily among hosts of bright red poppies. His lament, echoes the horrific human cost of war.
Alas, a century later, our world is awash in conflicts, oppression and battles on many fronts. As the aged soldiers of two world wars fade away, newly minted young men and women rise to take their place. They dutifully represent Canada at home and abroad fulfilling the plea of a grieving soldier on a blood-soaked battle ground:
“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”.
Jean Moylan, CSJ