I'm sure there will be lots like this one, but, ah well...
Why the Poppy?
Today, fields of brilliant poppies still grow in France.
A writer first made the connection between the poppy and battlefield deaths during the Napoleonic wars of the early 19th century, remarking that fields that were barren before battle exploded with the blood-red flowers after the fighting ended.
During the tremendous bombardments of the First World War the chalk soils became rich in lime from rubble, allowing 'popaver rhoeas' to thrive. When the war ended the lime was quickly absorbed, and the poppy began to disappear again.
After John McCrae's poem In Flanders Fields was published in 1915 the poppy became a popular symbol for soldiers who died in battle.
Three years later an American, Moina Michael, was working in a New York City YMCA canteen when she started wearing a poppy in memory of the millions who died on the battlefield.
During a 1920 visit to the United States a French woman, Madame Guerin, learned of the custom. On her return to France she decided to use handmade poppies to raise money for the destitute children in war-torn areas of the country. In November, 1921, the first poppies were distributed in Canada.
Thanks to the millions of Canadians who wear flowers each November, the little red plant has never died. And neither have Canadian's memories for 116,031 of their countrymen who died in battle.
In Flanders Fields Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae, MD (1872-1918)
Canadian Army
In Flanders Fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe:
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.
Statistics
Place: 167 out of 205 Avg (all users): 4.7284 Avg (commenters): 6.2000 Avg (participants): 4.9107 Avg (non-participants): 4.6321 Views since voting: 514 Views during voting: 247 Votes: 162 Comments: 5 Favorites: 0
Meets Challenge 2
Technicalities 2
Interestingness 1
Creativity 1
Personal Bias
Total = 6
with this almost abstract view, it is hard to know what this is - yet by the title, you want the viewer to know it is a memorial
I saw another one of these flowers in this challenge, does it represent something? Don't like how the border is thicker on the bottom than the tops and sides. Would prefer if the border of the memorial weren't so close to the center of the pic.
Add photograph to your favorites
Add photographer to your favorites
Photographer found comment helpful.
