The ANZAC Day poem was a puzzle piece. Our class undertook days of literary labour, collaborating and pushing our writing skills to the limit as we combined stanzaic pieces into an elaborate poem, stretching toward the fallen soldiers who fought for our country—side by side, never seeing dawn break, their last glimpses of family fading away into silent darkness. Their bravery will not only linger on limestone plaques but will also be etched in our minds forever.
All of our poetic skills were put to good use. Teamwork took hold. Each student contributed just a sentence, efforts flowing from our hearts into the poem. We gave, implemented, and pondered. Feedback from peers and teachers was welcomed warmly by our team of writers. We returned our fingers to our keyboards, conducting multiple cycles of editing and proofreading.
The students of 6C were delighted and proud when we found out that our poem had been chosen to be read at the City of Ryde ANZAC Day Service. It was rewarding to see our work acknowledged in this way.
By Jeremy Xiao and Elijah Yap, 6C
Copy of the Final Poem
Lest We Forget
Through mud and smoke they stormed ahead,
The ground and sky both crimson red,
Their will unbroken, come what may,
Marching through storms and fire of each day,
Hearts pounding, rain falling,
The ANZACs stormed on, duty calling.
Arms outstretched, reaching,
Faces painted, bleaching,
Tears wept dry
Grief forgiven, forgotten
Roots spread, through
The soil of the fallen
The cries of triumph, the silence of defeat,
All remembered in a single beat,
In our now tranquil, peaceful land,
Nurtured by the honor of a fallen warrior
To our soldiers
You made our nation
You made us
You are us
And now in the sun drenched fields
Of rows and rows of poppies
The sun paints the sky in red and orange hues
Like on all those tranquil evenings
Those raw, tender mornings
And you pushed through
Loyal, true,
And now
We respect in our hearts,
For them
For you
Lest we forget