It took me a few moments to find this piece already written about John McCrae’s Flanders Field.
The haiku is at the end of this haibun - While I believe only a haiku was sought I choose not to separate it from the haibun. This piece was inspired by the prompt from ‘Imprompt’. Which has a
lithograph from the war entitled “A YMCA Cellar in Flanders”. To see the poster please click the Imprompt link:
a haibun:
Too Many Poppies
Widowed and childless, those things hadn’t stopped her -
from teaching children or collecting books.
Failing eyesight, though made it impossible now for
Clara to enjoy her books...
Dear Mr. John McCrae,
I am a retired widow living now at the Goodwin boarding home
for Elders.The paper is read to us each morning by those with better
sight than mine. I understand you are working with the local YMCA in
preserving as well as procuring supplies. I have in the basement several
boxes of books that I believe would be useful for the shelter.
Please do come and pick them up at your earliest convenience. And
do join me for tea.
Respectfully, Mrs. C. Greenhorn
And so Mr. McCrae met with Mrs. Greenhorn.
Acquired several boxes of books, after having tea.
John made sure the artist included a the wall of books
in the sketch he was drawing for the YMCA cellar poster.
~~~
sandbags pile high
soldiers wipe sleep from their eyes
old women breath slow
©JP/davh
