CDS Student Recognized for Remembrance Day Poem
Grade 12 student, Mollie McLaughlin, placed 1st in the Royal Legion’s Remembrance Day competition. She was recognized for her Remembrance Day poem entitled "The Stretch of Sadness" at an awards ceremony at the Aurora Royal Legion on Sunday, February 25.
Congratulations Mollie!
The Stretch of Sadness
Sadness is an ash grey stretcher
that carries the bodies away.
Some alive, some not, some barely hanging on;
I see the injured as they try to conceal the fear in their eyes.
I hear them cry like weeping widows dressed all in black.
I feel the sadness swell inside of me,
as if the dam that had been containing my emotions
has suddenly come crashing down
and the tears start to stain my cheeks.
that carries the bodies away.
Some alive, some not, some barely hanging on;
I see the injured as they try to conceal the fear in their eyes.
I hear them cry like weeping widows dressed all in black.
I feel the sadness swell inside of me,
as if the dam that had been containing my emotions
has suddenly come crashing down
and the tears start to stain my cheeks.
This has become my life now,
a symbol of hope in the most dire of times,
even when the reality is bleak.
The man that lays before me with a bullet to his chest,
I can feel his pulse weakening as he struggles to draw breath.
He knows there’s nothing I can do for him,
but something deep inside of me still urges me to try.
Hearing the other soldiers brag about returning to their homes and families
makes my blood boil, igniting a fire within.
I do everything I can to keep these men alive
while others take their lives for granted, wasting away, afraid to take risks.
I know I should move on from him,
but never will it feel okay to leave this man to die.
a symbol of hope in the most dire of times,
even when the reality is bleak.
The man that lays before me with a bullet to his chest,
I can feel his pulse weakening as he struggles to draw breath.
He knows there’s nothing I can do for him,
but something deep inside of me still urges me to try.
Hearing the other soldiers brag about returning to their homes and families
makes my blood boil, igniting a fire within.
I do everything I can to keep these men alive
while others take their lives for granted, wasting away, afraid to take risks.
I know I should move on from him,
but never will it feel okay to leave this man to die.
I see another group arrive,
hear the desperation of their cries, like the mockingjay who whistles a sad song,
and once again I’m faced with the horrors of the job.
Yet unpleasant, I wouldn’t trade it for the world
for I know what I do is important, like an officer in uniform or the leaders who command him, it somehow must be done.
I think of all the problems I used to be concerned with
and I know those feelings were never true,
because sadness is not losing a game, a follower, or a dollar,
sadness is an ash grey stretcher.
hear the desperation of their cries, like the mockingjay who whistles a sad song,
and once again I’m faced with the horrors of the job.
Yet unpleasant, I wouldn’t trade it for the world
for I know what I do is important, like an officer in uniform or the leaders who command him, it somehow must be done.
I think of all the problems I used to be concerned with
and I know those feelings were never true,
because sadness is not losing a game, a follower, or a dollar,
sadness is an ash grey stretcher.
Land Acknowledgment
The Country Day School wishes to recognize and acknowledge the land on which the school operates. Our nearest Indigenous Nations are now the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation and the Chippewas of Georgina Island. The Dish with One Spoon Wampum covenant is often cited as an example of the shared responsibility for caring for these lands among the Huron-Wendat, Anishinaabe and Haudenosaunee peoples who would call these their traditional territories. CDS respects the relationship with these lands and recognizes that our connection to this land can be strengthened by our continued relationship with all First Nations, by acknowledging our shared responsibility to respect and care for the land and waters for future generations.
School Information
13415 Dufferin Street King, Ontario L7B 1K5
(905) 833-1220
communications@cds.on.ca
admissions@cds.on.ca
Founded in 1972, The Country Day School is a co-educational private school offering programs in JK-12 and located on 100 acres north of Toronto in King.
(905) 833-1220
communications@cds.on.ca
admissions@cds.on.ca
Founded in 1972, The Country Day School is a co-educational private school offering programs in JK-12 and located on 100 acres north of Toronto in King.
