Nov 11, 2015 – willowdot21

Today was a special day a date carved in my mind.

Today it is time for us to remember the soldiers who died for all mankind.

Walking up to town today my poppy on show

Just a little reminder, my reverence to show.

The high street was busy full of people to and fro

And traffic rushing through as motorists on their journeys go.

Today it will be different, today is not the norm though

Busy roads and people about their business go.

Outside the Town Hall and in the Market Place

Groups of people gather, smile and wave the older men embrace.

Now the clock hands approach the eleventh hour

Our town surges gratefulness you can feel it’s power.

For every shopper stops and stands and every coffee shop

And bar is silent now because the clock bell tolls the hour.

The tills in the supermarkets and every shop

Are silent and with silent shoppers filled

Even the mighty traffic is in it journey is stilled.

In silence I stood and watched this strangest but most merited tribute

And as ever I shed a tear as the old men took a salute.

Two minutes and it was over all trace of silence gone,

The shops are once more busy the stilled traffic now moves on.

I meet my friend and as in to a coffee shop we go

Saying a silent thank you to all those brave men and women who we do not know.

They fought , some gave their lives for me so

I could be free. In Flanders, Turbrook and Tripoli,on the Somme,

Leningrad, Pearl Harbour and Helmand Province,

Iraq and Iran and many, many other places defended by a brave woman or a man.

I make no apology I will be politically in-correct

For so many have offered up their lives and my life they still affect!

They fought against what ever foe that threatened our freedom to take

Often they had to give the biggest sacrifice anyone has to make.

I shall not forget them and neither should you

for without them you would not be free to do most of the things you do!

So on this 11th day at the 11th hour of this 11th month I stood

To salute our soldiers, sailors and our airmen and many, many others.

For they have given their all for us my sisters and my brothers.

We owe them a THANK YOU.

THANK YOU

one of my older poems reworked : Always and ever true.

Day: Nov 11, 2015