The Scarlet And The Black

Alan S Jeeves 1951 (Lancashire)



Blood red blooms with foliage green,
Dancing, bowing in the air.
Paint an image so serene
The sweetest scarlet lady fair.
Meadows, fields of floral show
To the landscape, briefly lent;
Come to me where here I grow ~
Lie with me amongst my scent.

Blood red blooms in golden light
Smiling skyward t'ward the blue;
Morning comes with evening's flight
As sunbeams start the day anew.
Gaze on me, peruse my poise,
Enjoy my sanguine, wooing charm;
Hear me sing, consume my noise ~
Lie with me amongst the calm.

Blood red blooms, as crisp as crêpe,
In proudly blazed eccentric rows;
Form their rouge unbounded drape
Where their seed chose to appose.
Here within a rural sea
Swimming, floating as a shoal;
Immerse your being, set you free ~
Lie with me and bathe your soul.

Blood red blooms of poppies gay,
Battling in a wind so strong;
Sent to blow them all away
And sweep their countenance along.
Blood red hues ~ now black as hell,
The winds of war have caused them weep;
Stay you here, this field you fell ~
Lie with me and soundly sleep.

About this poem

Imagine a poppy field in wartime Belgium/France. What an image it invokes. It would be difficult to describe the plight of the soldier - there through no fault of his own. Best let the poppy speak for itself I think. Written for the centenary of the commencement of WW1 in 2014.

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Submitted by AlanSJeeves on July 19, 2021

Modified on March 05, 2023

57 sec read
4

Quick analysis:

Scheme ABABCDCD EFEFGXGX HXHGIFIX JKJKLHLH
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 1,004
Words 191
Stanzas 4
Stanza Lengths 8, 8, 8, 8

Alan S Jeeves

Alan S Jeeves is a Lancashire (England) born, Yorkshire based classical poet. more…

All Alan S Jeeves poems | Alan S Jeeves Books

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