Scarlet Poppies

I laboured on the farmer’s land
I ploughed the furrows all day long
The simple life was good enough
The air was fresh, my arms were strong
I’d walk along the winding path
That took me to the misty dell
Where many scarlet poppies grew
And there I’d meet my dear Michelle
By a lake of blue she would wait
A sweet smile on her lovely face
A scarlet poppy I would pick
For in my lover’s hair to place
One day I went to meet Michelle 
And told her I’d been called to fight
A pointless war across the sea
She cried, we held each other tight
A foreign trench with thoughts of her
The soil was damp with morning dew
It smelled just like the place we’d meet
The place where scarlet poppies grew
And then we charged our chosen foe
Much carnage wreaked that bloody day
I saw my comrade on the ground
Saw that his legs were blown away
I heard him crying out my name
His eyes stared at the cold grey sky
‘My life is through, all hope is gone
‘Tis better now that I should die’
His tortured voice I could not bear
‘Goodbye to you dear friend’ I said
I kissed his cheek, I shed a tear
I put my gun against his head
As I approached a grassy ridge
The soldier lay upon the crest
I stared into the face of death
His bullet sank into my chest
Now all my dying eyes can see
Are scarlet poppies where I fell
Like those that grow in English fields
Those I picked for my dear Michelle