{"id":4786,"date":"2020-10-31T02:18:00","date_gmt":"2020-10-31T02:18:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.writingsinrhyme.com\/?p=4786"},"modified":"2020-10-31T02:28:33","modified_gmt":"2020-10-31T02:28:33","slug":"driving-to-dendermonde","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/writingsinrhyme.com\/index.php\/driving-to-dendermonde\/","title":{"rendered":"Driving to Dendermonde"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>
Driving across Flanders in 2011<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I drove past fields where cattle grazed
\nThe roads were long and straight
\nI looked at scenes familiar unfazed
\nMy mood melancholy and sedate…
\nFaster cars past us fled by,
\nAs if battle never was
\nAs if no one on these fields did die
\nNone asked how because
\nThe egos of rulers and cruel men
\nCaused armys and civilians to be killed
\nIt could and will happen again:
\nSeems the past has the future willed.<\/p>\n

I remember now that distant day
\nAs villages flew past
\nRental signs on the houses say
\nThe peace is set to last.
\nBut what happened before will happen again,
\nOf that, I thought, I am afraid
\nSuch is the folly of greedy men
\nAs I to Dendermond my way I made.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I drove past fields where cattle grazed The roads were long and straight I looked at scenes familiar unfazed My mood melancholy and sedate… Faster cars past us fled by, As if battle never was As if no one on these fields did die None asked how because The egos …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1203],"tags":[4343,4340,2372,4341,1119,4342],"class_list":["post-4786","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-flanders","tag-aftermath","tag-dendermond","tag-flanders","tag-ghosts","tag-legacy","tag-world-war","column","twocol"],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7EI4f-1fc","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1810,"url":"https:\/\/writingsinrhyme.com\/index.php\/war-and-poppies\/","url_meta":{"origin":4786,"position":0},"title":"War and Poppies","author":"Tom\u00e1s \u00d3 C\u00e1rthaigh","date":"11th November 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"In Flanders fields, and Kandahar, In deepest Afghanistan, Poppies bloom, the Flowers of War, Blossom of the Savagery of Man. In the former to commemorate the Fallen, Who died amid battles roars, And in the latter a source of income, One of many reasons for local wars. In a side\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "The Great War"","block_context":{"text":"The Great War","link":"https:\/\/writingsinrhyme.com\/index.php\/category\/war-poetry\/the-great-war\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Poppy - We remember the fallen","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.writingsinrhyme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/11\/Poppy.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":4721,"url":"https:\/\/writingsinrhyme.com\/index.php\/grey-skies-over-aughrim\/","url_meta":{"origin":4786,"position":1},"title":"Grey Skies Over Aughrim","author":"Tom\u00e1s \u00d3 C\u00e1rthaigh","date":"6th July 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Grey skies over Aughrim: Fields peaceful and green, That knew terror and bloodshed Where battle had been. But now only cows graze there, Armies fight no more, Time heals all scars in landscapes As often since and before. From far fields in Flanders From Ballinamuck to Beiruit Time brings peace\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Williamite Wars"","block_context":{"text":"Williamite Wars","link":"https:\/\/writingsinrhyme.com\/index.php\/category\/irelands-wars\/williamite-wars\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/writingsinrhyme.celtichosting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/IMG_20200706_215448_676.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/writingsinrhyme.celtichosting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/IMG_20200706_215448_676.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/writingsinrhyme.celtichosting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/IMG_20200706_215448_676.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/writingsinrhyme.celtichosting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/IMG_20200706_215448_676.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/writingsinrhyme.celtichosting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/IMG_20200706_215448_676.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1059,"url":"https:\/\/writingsinrhyme.com\/index.php\/fate-and-faiths\/","url_meta":{"origin":4786,"position":2},"title":"Fate and Faiths","author":"Tom\u00e1s \u00d3 C\u00e1rthaigh","date":"30th March 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"Two women, one old: one young Walk side by side, content The older, dressed as befits her faith: The other as befits her age in Ghent. With \"Rock Chick\" emblazoned on two crossed guitars, She may as well have been Belgian and white... The old woman, maybe her grandmother, Dressed\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Flanders"","block_context":{"text":"Flanders","link":"https:\/\/writingsinrhyme.com\/index.php\/category\/travel-poems\/flanders\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":3694,"url":"https:\/\/writingsinrhyme.com\/index.php\/this-far-and-no-farther\/","url_meta":{"origin":4786,"position":3},"title":"This Far and No Farther","author":"Tom\u00e1s \u00d3 C\u00e1rthaigh","date":"23rd April 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"World War One was a savage conflict, and long before the invention and application of Blitzkrieg the Germans were \"masters of shell and attack\" tactics, and were within four miles of Ypres when they faced two small but signifigant obstacles, a tiny remnand of the Welsh Borderers, who were relieved\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "North Longford"","block_context":{"text":"North Longford","link":"https:\/\/writingsinrhyme.com\/index.php\/category\/north-longford\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"The Second Battalion of the Worcesters did not know that the Welsh were still left, and were delighted and surprised to find them in the Chateau, before they advanced and retook the village under the leadership of John Dopping Boyd ","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.writingsinrhyme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/Meeting-of-the-2nd-Worcestershire-with-1st-South-Wales-Borderers-in-the-grounds-of-Chateau-painting-by-J-P-Beadle.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.writingsinrhyme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/Meeting-of-the-2nd-Worcestershire-with-1st-South-Wales-Borderers-in-the-grounds-of-Chateau-painting-by-J-P-Beadle.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.writingsinrhyme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/Meeting-of-the-2nd-Worcestershire-with-1st-South-Wales-Borderers-in-the-grounds-of-Chateau-painting-by-J-P-Beadle.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1674,"url":"https:\/\/writingsinrhyme.com\/index.php\/may-day-mayhem-maypoles-and-marches\/","url_meta":{"origin":4786,"position":4},"title":"May Day Mayhem, Maypoles and Marches","author":"Tom\u00e1s \u00d3 C\u00e1rthaigh","date":"1st May 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Arvas streets saw chaos, fights and blood Men of anger settling fueds, scores and slights Moscows streets saw tanks and missiles Televisions broadcasting to the world the feasome sights Englands fair fields saw dancing around Maypoles... Young men over maidens fair having fistfights... Today the workers struggle struggles on Though\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Life"","block_context":{"text":"Life","link":"https:\/\/writingsinrhyme.com\/index.php\/category\/life\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":2193,"url":"https:\/\/writingsinrhyme.com\/index.php\/portrait-of-the-poet-as-a-not-so-young-man\/","url_meta":{"origin":4786,"position":5},"title":"Portrait of the Poet as a Not So Young Man","author":"Tom\u00e1s \u00d3 C\u00e1rthaigh","date":"12th August 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"In slow distaste I fold my towel with what grace I can, Not young, and not renewable, but man ~ Thomas Kinsella \"Mirror in February\" The white hair, welcome, comes in greater numbers No matter or not if the welcome is there The black gives way to a growing grey\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Life"","block_context":{"text":"Life","link":"https:\/\/writingsinrhyme.com\/index.php\/category\/life\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"The portrait above was drawn a few days ago on Shop Street in Galway by a talented artist from Melbourne... on looking at it after I thought of the title of the play \"Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man\" and thought of a melancholic twist to that as I reflected on the past few years which have been eventful to say the least. 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