To soldiers thou art the year of war
Men tell your stories
And sing of thy glories
Poets speak of thee
Filling hearts with strange premonitions
And memorable distinctions
That was Canada in the Year 1812
Note from Stan Skrzeszewski: With thanks to Adam Mickiewicz, Pan Tadeusz, trans by Watson Kirkconell (University of Toronto Press, 1962), 311
Source: Stan Skrzeszewski. Creative Memories: In Honour of the Polish Soldiers Who Died at the Battle of Fort Erie. London, Ont. : Stan Skrzeszewski, 2015
See other poems from Creative Memories
Stan Skrzeszewski is a writer of poetry, short stories, plays and even one libretto. He also serves as a curator at the Orlinski Museum and Archives of the Polish Armed Forces. In another life, Stan was a librarian, management consultant and a facilitator of philosopher’s cafes. The son of a Polish Veteran and Scottish War Bride, he feels a passionate need to record history.