AS THE Royal British Legion gears up to its annual Poppy Day appeal and our thoughts turn to the Remembrance Day commemorations, I have again written a poem of reflection on the subject but this time from a different point of view.

We Remember With Pride Each Year by Chrissie Saunders

We remember with pride each year
Those who died
In the bloody battles of war
But what of those who survived?
Those scenes so grim they also saw
And maybe lost a limb
Or two, or three, or even four 
Yet still live.

The scream of missiles and explosions roar,
A misplaced foot, a leg no more.
A deadly game of cat and mouse,
Running, hiding from house to house.
Torture in a prison cell, denying a tale to tell
Nothing more to give
Yet still live.

For those who answered the call,
What of their haunted minds
Seeing comrades fall,
The anguished cry of friends.
What demons taunt each waking hour 
For those whose terror never ends,
Reliving horrors day by day,
What of them do we say?

Honour should also be bestowed on he or she
Who fought in foreign lands
Far from home and family,
Away from a peaceful, civil life,
Incurring horrendous injury.
They also served their Country
And still live.

So, during the annual ceremony 
All their suffering should remembered be.

WATCH: Why the annual Poppy Appeal is so important to people of all ages

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