PPC2Britain: "Poppies, tragic beauty"

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Red beauties lie in lands between foe and ally

A sulking soil where solemn souls lie

In the depth of night their ghosts float by

The poppies, their likeness popping 

Remembrance of blood drip dropping

The ravens crow and clammer upon the lushness of red petals

A reminder nevermore again

They spill over the Tower of London

Jewels and 530 carrot scepters

Not a soul alive could insure

No cameras to witness only guards and memories endure

Instead the priceless lives lay slain as payment

Heads rolled, spines stretched apart beneath the pavement 

Such beauty, haunted symbols of acts so heinous 

But as bombs yield advancements, does pain yield greatness?

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Explanation:

We went to the Tower of London on our first official day as a group. 

There was an undeniable characteristic signature to the castle: the poppy flower. Their bright red hues ran over the lawns and the tower gates. They seemed to run down walls and pool up in areas. In a more cynical light… they resembled the dripping of blood.

Our tour guide ushered us through the front corridors. A history of death intertwined with the riches harbored within the walls. 

The poppies are seen as a symbol of the fallen soldiers in the world wars. This began with John McCrae’s poem “In Flander’s Fields” following their appearance in World War I. The poppies grew in the neutral land between opposing forces in Flanders, Belgium. McCrae wrote this poem after losing his colleague, Lieutenant Alexis Helmer, to the war. The poppies flourished around the fallen’s graves.

This poem was an instant favorite in Britain after its release in 1915. The words were a rallying cry. The nation utilized their influence to promote war-bonds and enhance the country’s defense capabilities. 

The Tower of London had been renovated with additional gates and buildings following several war-time attacks on London. Installation of poppy flowers as permanent artwork in the tower were undertaken in 2014 using 888,246 ceramic poppies. It was called “Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red.”

This was not the only history tied to the tower. Our guide explained how the ghosts of the tortured beneath the stony grounds would wander the area. Woven sculptures of exotic pets, lost to improper care, commemorated animals that lived in the tower as property of the royalty.

The use of alliteration is meant to transpose the rhythm of blood dripping onto the fourth and fifth lines.

The Tower of London held another prominent identifier: the raven. I likened their presence and significance to the famous Edgar Allen Poe poem “The Raven.” This poem too was latent with alliteration. Poe etched parallels to ravens as the signifiers of death in a wistful manner. This hearkening to a poetic classic is seen in the line “A reminder nevermore again”

The many ravens flapped and fluttered throughout the premises. Professor Sabadie and I joked that it was the perfect venue for the NFL’s budding international audience, namely for the Baltimore Ravens.

This profitable opportunity would favor the NFL much greater. This conclusion is attributed to the various gems, jewelry and artifacts housed within the Tower of London’s walls. Our tour guide described the items as priceless. Furthermore, she explained that none of the items were insured as there was no living person who could afford to replace them. One of which being the Sovereign’s Sceptre. Its crowning diamond boasted 530 carrots. It is the largest diamond in the world and often referred to as the “Great Star of Africa.”

We entered the line to view these treasures. Guardians stood watch next to unloaded cannons marked with Royal Armory seals. //They called these men Beefeaters 

I was excited to capture each piece. The way the light glistened from them. The sweet polish that made them gleam. One of the security guards inside was swift to thwart my new dream. Cameras of all sorts were not allowed within the exhibit. I purchased a silver crown pinky ring and a gold crown pendant necklace as memories to the inexplicable beauty.

A translucent blue memorial was staged near the exit. It read:

“Gentle visitor, Pause awhile where you stand, death cut away the light of many days. Here jeweled names were broken from the vivid thread of life. May they rest in peace, while we walk the generations around their strife and courage under these restless skies.”

The twelfth line of the poem is attributed to this monument.

We journeyed on to witness the instruments that brought about this loss of life. There were stretchers that utilized wheels to increase tension until the victim's spines broke. We were told stories of the many heads chopped off and left to roll.

The final line, “But as bombs yield advancements, does pain yield greatness,” is a reflection. Each new wall and majority of enhancements were in response to warfare, particularly bombings. These attacks culminated in the current Tower of London we experienced.

It led me to ponder: does the setback of so many lives lost inevitably lead to a greater status for the Tower of London and country? The glistening memorial monument was an easy testament to this logic. I wondered what other beauties were only possible due to the tragedies that came before them.