The Official Writing Challenge
BACK TO
CHALLENGE
MAIN
INSTRUCTIONS
how it works
submission rules
guidelines for
choosing a level
ENTRIES
submit your entry
read current entries
read past entries
challenge winners
Our Daily Devotional HERE
Place it on your site or
receive it daily by email.


TRUST JESUS TODAY

  • Share
  • how it works
  • Submit
Previous Challenge Entry (Level 4 – Masters)
Topic: TOURIST ATTRACTION(S) (natural or man-made) (08/06/15)
White turret towers rise loftily
Piercing the clouded sky
And gaze down, as they have for years,
On Father Thames nearby.
Her Majesty’s Royal Fortress,
(Fond euphemism, ‘The Tower’),
Holds annals from a millennium
Of devious plots and power.

O ancient Tower of London
What tales your walls could tell
Of intrigue and of mystery;
Your passing clientele
Resided in this Palace
Beneath the monarch’s favour,
Whilst others met a quick despatch
For some wrongful behaviour.

But years have rolled on rapidly,
As quickly as The Thames,
And now its tourists who arrive
In droves, to see the gems.
In holidaying spirit
They joyfully relax
And purchase souvenir gifts:
Beefeaters, Union Jacks.

O ancient Tower of London
The ‘must-see sight’ of all
For thousand-thousand visitors
To England’s Capital.
But let me tell you of a sight
That took our breath away
When visiting the Tower
One last November day …..

Words failed, the pressing multitudes
In subdued silence stand
With moistened eyes, hearts strangely torn
By numerous poppies; fanned
Around the Tower, upon the lawn,
Each poppy singly made,
A symbol of one life laid down,
There graphically displayed.

The metal stalks, ceramic blooms,
Red petals, stamen black,
Were individually planted
And called the memory back.
The boom of gunfire’s long been stilled
But here, a poppy sea
Flung memories back one hundred years
To war’s reality.



The Tower tourists, quiet that day
In memory stood with low bowed head
Before the poppies ‘Blood Swept Lands,
The ‘Flowing Seas of Red’.



O ancient Tower of London,
Throughout long centuries
You’ve surely never witnessed such
A telling sight as this.
You’ve seen many comings, goings,
New sights eclipse ‘before’
So it surely won’t surprise you that
The poppy-sea’s no more.


Yes, every bright red poppy
Was plucked with utmost care,
Then packaged up and posted on
So many more could share
A small part of ‘the Blood Swept Lands,
The Flowing Seas of Red’,
And thus this mighty monument
Across the world is spread.




Designer Tom Piper and Ceramicist Paul Cummins commemorated the centenary of World War One with their art illustration called 'Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red.
Around the moat at the Tower of London, 888,246 ceramic red poppies were gradually planted until 11 November 2014. Each represented one British or colonial life lost.
More than 5 million people are estimated to have visited Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red during the four months it appeared in the Tower’s moat.
The opinions expressed by authors may not necessarily reflect the opinion of FaithWriters.com.
Accept Jesus as Your Lord and Savior Right Now - CLICK HERE
JOIN US at FaithWriters for Free. Grow as a Writer and Spread the Gospel.
This article has been read 1063 times
Member Comments
Member
Date
Charla Diehl
08/13/15
This beautiful poem brought to life the pictures painted with your words. How stirring a sight those flowers must have been.
Noel Mitaxa 
08/14/15
Very powerful and compelling reading. What a sobering picture you have described.
Noel Mitaxa 
08/14/15
Very powerful and compelling reading. What a sobering picture you have described.
Francy Judge 
08/14/15
I loved everything about this poem--your descriptions, the repetition of certain verses, the subject. This is a beautiful, creative entry.
Danielle King 
08/15/15
This is a beautiful and creative poem, perfect for this week's topic. I saw the poppies on TV but it must have been an amazing and sobering experience to have been at the tower and seen them for real. You described the scene in such detail that I felt I was there. Great job!
Rachel Barrett
08/15/15
Wow, well done. A very unusual and striking style of poetry, that kept me reading. Very vivid descriptions and word pictures that were not all "in your face", but subtly eloquent.
Bonnie Bowden 
08/15/15
What a sight those 888,246 ceramic poppies must have been. A beautiful commemorative of a tragic war.
Ellen Carr 
08/16/15
Your poem is lovely, and very moving. To see those poppies must have been amazing. What an impacting way to commemorate those lost in the war. Great writing!
Zacharia Fox
08/17/15
This is masterfully crafted, both in its rhyme and cadence. A thing of beauty you have here:) This will do well:)
Loni Bowden-Horn 
08/18/15
Hauntingly beautiful written about the Tower of London. It sent shivers down my spine at the eloquently written words.
Zacharia Fox
08/20/15
Congrats! Such a beautiful piece:) First place suits it well:)
Verna Cole Mitchell 
08/20/15
Congratulations, dear friend, for being at the very top with this beautiful poem!
Danielle King 
08/20/15
I knew you'd be up top with this poem. Yet another masterpiece and very worthy of the win. Congratulations Margaret.
Bea Edwards 
08/20/15
Your poetry is always exceptional Margaret! This one became even more stunning when I googled images of the scene.

The old castle juxtaposed with the modern skyline added to the poppy filled mote in an inexplicable moment of delight.

I simply MUST get to London one day.
Bonnie Bowden 
08/20/15
Congratulations on your 1st place EC award, Margaret. Your poetry brilliantly tells a historical story. It makes the reader want to learn more about London.
Noel Mitaxa 
08/20/15
Brilliant writing that draws us way past its graphic descriptions, on into our own hearts and minds. A well-deserved win!
Ellen Carr 
08/21/15
Congratulations, Margaret! This win doesn't surprise me. Your poem is beautiful and based on such a moving tribute. Well done!!
Beth LaBuff
08/21/15
Your masterpiece exudes a sobering, poignant image. I've never been to the Tower, but I was caught away in your moment as I viewed your Flowing Sea of Red. (My Grandfather served during WWI). Congrats, Margaret! I love this!
Pauline Carruthers
08/26/15
This is a poem to print out and keep.So very beautiful and poignant, vividly portrayed. I so wanted to see the poppies but never made it. Congratulations on a well deserved win.