Let Us Not Forget

One of the many things we take pride in here at Redeemer is our talented writers. One of these gifted students desired to commemorate this past Remembrance Day in a meaningful way. His literary achievement does not merely inspire us to honor our heroes of the past, but also those who are still serving this country and are sacrificing their lives for us to this very day. 

Lest we forget.
 
-The Editors

ORIGINAL POEM

Let Us Not Forget

By JACOB C.

Beyond the sheltering forest bark,

Where battle determines the fate of war,

Soldiers lying in the dark

Prepare for tragedy, loss, and gore.

The maples surrender vibrant verdure,

Fading to the cardinal shade of the fallen,

Raining dead leaves over many an acre

To cover their bodies, now cold and ashen.

White crosses checker the silent hill

Beneath which wait souls, no longer in pain

For the next generation’s fight to fulfill-

Up from the red dust and back again.

There is no blood thicker, or darker, or deeper

Than that of the north’s noble, national keeper

That makes the white trilliums crimson with grief

When stolen from veterans by death, the great thief.

Are their bones only borders to drive back corruption?

Are their lines only broken to hold back invasion?

What place does their sacrifice hold in our hearts?

What must we accomplish to do our own part?

Shall we bathe our pale skin in the rising red water?

Shall we avenge the dead with a son or a daughter?

Nay, but let us take on this one task to do:

Let us not forget the broken
When we replace them with the new.