POPPY

Blood red poppy in swathes of greyed
Crombie coats still tailor made
For shielding stress and cloaking pain
Of introspective island gain

A badge of death and remembrance
Purposively, simply not by chance
Dragging us back to wartime past
A vain hope that this spirit lasts

For TV pictures can’t convey
A generation wiped away
Rationing their food and hope
Now misunderstood by liberal trope?

Veterans dropping by the day
Confused, bewildered at modern ways
Remain entrenched in national pride
Cowering as race and creed collide

Archaic world-view symbolised
With brassy medals worn and prized
Comfort in collective masses
Not understood by chattering classes

Pause, reflect; put to one side
The generational divide
Admire them for their sacrifice
For with our freedom came a human price.