remembrance of lives past

I should have bought cigarettes
to quell this lump in my throat

"Oh Canada" in brass
the mass joining softly in song
a murmur of words followed by silence
amazed, as always, how silent this many people can be

at first firing
the pigeons dropping from the faces of the buildings
in Sparks Street as if shot
cannon fire booming through concrete
the force of air moving outward in concentric circles
like a bomb drop

wreaths are laid
the same wreaths as last year
plastic is more durable than the real thing

the band playing hymns and tunes of another time
the only voices rising having the quaver of age
the unintentional vibrato

then the service completed with "God Save the Queen"
now so rarely sung, few remember the words
the ceremony ending with a whimper not a bang
fading into the marching band

but always that double-edged sward
the remembrance of lives past
coupled with the crisp creases
of the new uniforms of the very young
chests without medals
silent save for a heart beat
faces paled with the cold
following up the rear
swallowing hard
just in case

                                               (Remembrance Day, 1994, Ottawa)

Catherine Jenkins
Ottawa, ON