It is time for the Flash 55 Challenge in the month of July. The rules of this prompt have not changed: Write a piece of poetry or prose on a subject of your choice in precisely 55 WORDS.
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| British troops advance in the Battle of the Somme, 1916, WW1 |
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PLUS!
July 1, 2016 marked the centenary of The Battle of the Somme, a ferocious bombardment which saw the deaths of 19, 240 British soldiers in a singe day, with a further 38,230 men wounded or missing. The siege lasted for 140 days.
For the OPTIONAL EXTRA part of this challenge, I invite you to reflect on the Battle of the Somme or the legacy of war and history as it impacts on us, living in the 21st Century. For an hour-by-hour account of the battle with historical photos, click HERE.
Feel free to post more than one 55-word piece to this prompt, which will remain first on the Home page until Tuesday morning. Don't forget to return to enjoy the poetry of fellow poets.
A truly horrific time in our history, one we have learned much from, but now seem to be forgetting as everything escalates into chaos once more. Thanks, Kerry. for the opportunity to visit these ruins, and of course, for the ongoing tribute to the G-man.
ReplyDeleteI don't care much for writing about war... But like Hedge suggests, this time in history won't allow us to ignore what war does.
ReplyDeleteThis is something we need to remember... so many things going in the wrong direction right now... we need to remember them
ReplyDeleteHey Kerry--there is a very interesting article in the Sunday NY Times about the effect of the Battle of the Somme on Tolkien. Here's the link (I think)
ReplyDeletehttp://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/03/opinion/sunday/how-jrr-tolkien-found-mordor-on-the-western-front.html?action=click&pgtype=Homepage&version=Moth-Visible&moduleDetail=inside-nyt-region-1&module=inside-nyt-region®ion=inside-nyt-region&WT.nav=inside-nyt-region
^^Thanks for this article, Karin!
ReplyDeleteMy poem is maybe only a little on point but I had been musing on it for a while and it feels close enough to share. 55 for sure! Hope everyone is having a great weekend.
That was such a spooky coincidence. I started to write a poem about the Somme yesterday but didn't finish it - I had fewer than 55 words. This morning, as I was looking for some inspiration on WordPress, I almost jumped out of my chair when I saw this brilliant prompt. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteThis theme brought to mind some family stories of World War II.
ReplyDeleteWOW way soooo serious, and embracing.
ReplyDeletemuch love...
Getting mine posted just under the wire. Thanks for the prompting. It shook something loose. Viva la!
ReplyDelete