In Honour Of Their Memory

Today is Remembrance Day in Canada, and Armistice Day and Veterans Day elsewhere. On this date in 1918, the guns of the Great War fell silent across Europe. It is a day of commemoration for the fallen of war.

These photographs are from last year in my photoblog, taken at the National War Memorial here in Ottawa, where today a national service will take place.

The ceremony itself begins with the march in of the veterans, led by the pipes and drums.

After the ceremony is done, the pipes and drums lead the march past.

Veterans are right behind.

It also includes active members from each branch of the Canadian Forces.

I close this post with two statues by the same artist, Ruth Abernethy, both larger than life, and both a twin of the other. The first is here in Ottawa, on Green Island where the Rideau River meets the Ottawa River. Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae was the Canadian soldier, doctor, and poet who wrote the poem In Flanders Fields during the First World War, and would not live to see that war's end.

The other version of the statue is here in his home town- Guelph, in southern Ontario, where it stands outside the city's Civic Museum. In his hand he grips a notebook, with the first words to his most famous poem inscribed on the bronze page. A man whose words have left a lasting impact upon the world.

In The Cause Of The Free

At the eleventh hour of the day on this date in 1918, the guns fell silent on the battlefields of Europe. The war that was supposed to end all wars came to an end. An entire generation would be marked by it- death, long lasting wounds, or the memories that would last a lifetime. And it would only lead to a bloodier war.

We call it different names around the world, but on this date, many commemorate the losses of war. I will be attending the national services here today, and featuring Remembrance Day in my photoblog for much, if not all, of the rest of the month.

John McCrae was a Canadian doctor, officer, and poet who went to the battlefields of Europe to fight in the Great War. He would never return home, dying of pneumonia. And he left behind a legacy in a poem that transcends national boundaries. In Flanders Fields has become a part of our common humanity. McCrae came from the city of Guelph, here in Ontario. His legacy looms large there. I took this shot and featured it in my photoblog a few months back. The poem is inscribed on a plaque at the city's war memorial.

A pair of sculptures of McCrae reside in two places. The artist Ruth Abernethy created these twins. One resides outside Guelph's local history museum.

The other is here in Ottawa, on Green Island, where several other military monuments reside, and where the Rideau River meets the Ottawa River. Abernethy features poppies in the sculpture, and has McCrae holding a copy of his most famous poem.

Spotlight: April Morone

I thought I'd take time today to spotlight one of my friends and a fellow member of the Writers of Mass Distraction. April Morone is a poet and writer who I've gotten to know first through mutual friends, and from there in the online world of fellow writers. She has her own blog, Life's Surprises that she looks in on from time to time, so check that out and put her on follow. She also writes at From The Heart and Wonderful Writers I Admire

April is a sensitive soul who's had to deal with more then her fair share of challenges in life. She has a great gift for poetry, and a welcoming, open presence. I've gotten to know her through Writers Digest Community, where she has established a group called Poetry Corner. She'll often grace us with her own beautiful poems and writings, and she's welcoming to those who come to her group.

I'm not at all a poet. I have no gift for it, and I often think that even my comments aren't adequate to the occasion. For April, that doesn't matter. As long as we say something, it's good. The artist, so to speak, likes to know their work is appreciated.

Aside from Writers' Digest, she's branched out into Facebook, where Poetry Corner can easily be found under her other nom de guerre, Annika Doe.

April has a lot going on in her life right now, and it might be easy to step away from things like Poetry Corner. Instead, she continues to write, to give her readers a taste of beautiful poetry.

While she handles an ongoing work in progress, she already has a book at Amazon. From the Heart: Poems is a collection of some of her works. If you enjoy poetry or know someone who does, pick this one up. You'll enjoy it, and you'll enjoy getting to know April.