Poppies and Renewal of the Earth

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
  That mark our place; and in the sky
  The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below...

In Flanders Fields -- Colonel John Macrae - 1915

When Whole Foods Canada foolishly prohibited employees from wearing poppies on their lapels the public hue and cry was so vocal that management realized that it had free-range egg on its face and quickly reversed this decision. It was remarkable that this symbol of respect for our veterans received  immediate attention and from the Ontario and Federal legislatures with rebukes of Whole Foods from both. 

It is remarkable that the poppy has such a powerful hold on our imaginations more than a century after Canadian John McCrae wrote his famous poem following the death and burial of a friend during World War 1. Poppies were the among the first flowers to return in the scarred soil of battle fields and around the graves of the fallen. This renewal is not unlike fireweed, the pioneer plant which grows after wildfires and cut-overs here in Canada. The seeds lie dormant until some form of disturbance causes them to germinate.

I wonder if we could add (never replace) the symbolism of renewal of the Earth to our wearing of the poppy every November? We see more and more that Creation is in crisis and it will take a monumental effort to find our way out of the gloom. Poppies are symbols of solemnity for loss, of gratitude for sacrifice, and of persistent hope for the present and future. 

It's important to keep in mind that they are living things which grow and blow, and that it's never too late to stir up those seeds of hope.