Video: Poet Bruce Lakin recites his own poem Poppy Fields
On National Poetry Day a Notts poet has recited an original poem for Notts TV to help celebrate the day.
Bruce Lakin has written over 80 poems in the past year and recited ‘Poppy Fields,’ a poem about remembering the soldiers who died in World War II.
The poem has been heard by the Royal British Legion.
Poppy Fields by Bruce Lakin
Poppy fields as full as far as you can see
They grow for the dead soldier’s family
Our boys fought hard in the place where they grow
How many died we will never know
Thousands and thousands and many more
That Mam is the tragedy of war
So when you walk through the fields of red
Never forget the wounded and dead
The poppies are memories when in full bloom
There’s a photo of our son in our front room
Poppies are the most beautiful flower
As Churchill said they fought our finest hour
But we must not forget the nurses God bless them
Without whom we would have lost many men
It’s those girls and all their care
Stitching the wounded with flesh that was bare
Working their magic 24 hours a day
To fight in a war many miles away
Far from home and their families
Oh to see their loved ones to hold and to kiss
So just to see poppies for miles and miles
It was tears and sadness with very few smiles
But our boys dug in and held their ground
With the Hun approaching there was no sound
Then guns ablaze and barrels red hot
Down they fell shot after shot
God bless you lads for what we have and can see
You fought in a land that stood with not one tree
But we’ll never forget you for what you have done
You fought that great war and you won
So a poppy I’ll wear on the 11th November
When we all stand still at eleven to remember
We will all wear our poppies with so much pride
And we’ll never forget our soldiers who died
To give us our freedom to live our lives well
Remember the poppy fields where so many fell
The Forward Arts Foundation started the initiative and is a charity that celebrates poetry and aims to widen its audience.
National Poetry Day was founded in 1994 by William Sieghart with it being loosely themed from 1999 onwards.
