A NEW poem will be unveiled as part of Armistice Day commemorations at the National Memorial Arboretum.
A Sonnet For Us All will be read out at the service of remembrance attended by The Princess of Wales today (11th November).
Written by the arboretum’s poet-in-residence Arji Manuelpillai, the piece reflects the importance of personal connections, experiences and bonds that are formed through military service.
A Sonnet For Us All
When you speak of our country, do not speak of war.
Speak of the nurse who held a hand like her own father’s,
A lieutenant who embraced a soldier like his own brother.
Remember, sometimes those who go into burning buildings burn brighter than the fire inside.
Those who rise from burning buildings carry scars we cannot see.
If you speak of this country, speak of the widow who never stopped waiting, the sailor
who kissed a photo till it turned to ash in his hands, or the pilots who meet in the pub to talk of anything but war.
You see love is a compass, love is a bugle mourning.
Love is sacrificing tomorrow so that a stranger can live today.
So when you speak of this country, do not think of it as a place.
Think of it as a feeling, the feeling of being loved, the duty to pass that love to whoever needs it.
Poet Arji said:
“A Sonnet For Us All captures the stories etched into the hundreds of memorials within the National Memorial Arboretum, it invites people to listen, reflect and consider the emotion that was the inspiration for these sculptures.
“I hope these words shine a light on the bonds and relationships that lay often hidden by the conflict. Those quiet acts of care, the friendships that endure, and the sense of duty that binds one generation to the next.
“These human connections, and the gentle responsibility to carry love forward, are themes that resonate not only with me, but also with The Princess of Wales, for whom the importance of service and compassion lies especially close to the heart.”
The service of remembrance will be held at 10.45am with a two-minute silence at 11am.