As well as observing the two minutes’ silence to commemorate Armistice Day, many of our service users found a creative outlet for their emotions, too.
A group of adults with learning disabilities attending our Parkhead Day Centre in Ashington wrote this moving poem:
On 11 November
We have a minute’s silence
We stop and we remember
The fighting and the violence
We close our eyes and think about
The ones who died for us
There’s no way to repay them
That could ever be enough
We think of families left behind
Of those who lost their lives
We feel the sadness that we share
With their children and their wives
We hope for those who still survive
That they find peace and healing
From sirens, guns and bombs and knives
The fear they’ll still be feeling
We think of how they shaped our world
And how we can be free
We think of all they sacrificed
To make things right for me
We think of those who can’t let go
Of all the things they’ve known
We hope they will be cared for well
And won’t be left alone
So after all these years gone by
We take time and reflect
We thank those men who served us
Who deserve our deep respect