Good to see one of my poems featured on the VerseWrights website and Facebook page
‘Volunteers’ was inspired by Rodin’s fabulous sculpture in Calais from 1889 – according to Linduff et al[1] it serves as a monument to an occurrence in 1347 during the Hundred Years’ War, when Calais, an important French port on the English Channel, was under siege by the English for over a year. Calais commissioned Rodin to create the sculpture in 1884.
The Burghers of Calais by Auguste Rodin
[1] Linduff, David G. Wilkins, Bernard Schultz, Katheryn M. (1994). Art past, art present (2nd ed. ed.). Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice Hall. p. 454. ISBN 0-13-062084-X.
journalread 
06/04/2015 at 12:38
Polly, this gave me chills. You describe it so eloquently as if you were an actual witness. Amazing my friend! xxx
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06/04/2015 at 12:40
It’s a chilling story for sure Léa…
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06/04/2015 at 15:30
The details give this power, Polly.
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07/04/2015 at 07:18
Thanks Lindsay — it’s an extraordinary tale 🙂
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06/04/2015 at 16:37
Powerful poem, Polly. Loved this use of alliteration: “starved slump of shoulders”
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06/04/2015 at 18:21
Thanks Carrie, I’ve noticed you like alliterative lines, glad you like this one 🙂
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06/04/2015 at 18:30
Ha, you noticed that, did you? I do like it. I have to be careful not to overdo it in my blog posts. 🙂
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06/04/2015 at 18:32
Writers do need to be aware… 😉
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06/04/2015 at 17:02
Wow! Beautifully written. Many congratulations.
Louise
Miss Louise Jones
misslouisejones2013@gmail.com
Full time Teacher Freelance author, poet and artist
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06/04/2015 at 18:21
Thank you Louise 🙂
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07/04/2015 at 12:32
This is so powerful, made me quite shivery. You are such a talented poet Polly; I feel quite the beginner😊
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07/04/2015 at 12:36
That’s so kind of you Chris – I love your poetry too – you don’t look like a beginner to me 🙂
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10/04/2015 at 05:49
Dear Polly, you don’t know me — David Warren, Ph.D. in Humanities and Arts — close friend of Lea Levine. She sent me your poem. The Burgers of Calais is one of my favorite pieces of Art and I talk about in both Art and Humanities classes and I take students to the museum in San Francisco — the Palace of the Legion of Honor where a copy exists. You have expressed the feeling so very well. I hope that you will not mind my reading it to some of my students in the future when we are discussing that story. Your poetry is dynamic. Your new friend, David
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10/04/2015 at 07:12
My thanks must go to Léa as well as to you for commenting and making yourself known, David.
I shall be pleased to think you’re using ‘Volunteers’ to illustrate your talks on The Burgers of Calais 🙂
Best wishes – Polly
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