Grade 12 student Matthew Marioni submitted the following poem for the Royal Canadian Legion’s Annual Poster and Literary Contest.
The Fulton secondary student’s poem will now be submitted in competition to the BC/Yukon Command.
The Day We
Were Remembered
What do I know about Remembrance Day?
I know about WWI and WW II
It was on a test in Social Studies Class
Personally, I can’t remember
I wasn’t there and I don’t know them
Maybe it’s just me, but I don’t get it
Everybody tells me “Remember
Those who died on the battlegrounds
And be glad it wasn’t you”
I grew up in a generation of forgetfulness
Of people who don’t care and who say
“I wasn’t born, so why should I care”
The answer…because we couldn’t help them
We couldn’t aid or encourage them
We couldn’t even give them hope
I live in a generation of Ignorance
Of acceptance that the past is the past
That the present is the present
A generation that does not dwell or care
Yet is taught to remember
What we want to forget….
When the day is over we resume our lives
Treading on every corpse
Left behind and forgotten
We pretend we know nothing
The nothing that liberated, loved
Fought and died for us
We must not forget
The day we were remembered
By the forgotten souls…our friends
Lest we forget….Lest I forget
