‘We Remember, Not Resent’: Poetry contest inspires sombre student reflections for Remembrance Day
Grade 9 student Midu Nguyen reads her poem, 'We Remember, Not Resent,' at École Salish Secondary's Remembrance Day ceremony. Nguyen penned the winning entry of the school's inaugural poetry competition, established as a way to include student voices in the school's Remembrance Day assemblies. (Photo by Jacob Zinn)
In honour of Remembrance Day, a new poetry competition at École Salish Secondary is giving students a voice to pay tribute to Canada’s veterans and soldiers, instilling the significance of their heroic contributions to Canada’s history.
Recognized on Nov. 11, Remembrance Day commemorates the end of the First World War in 1918 and serves as an annual memorial to honour those who fought and died for their country in that war and ones to follow.
For English and performing arts teacher Kawal Varpaul, the idea for the contest came about as a way to emphasize the importance of Remembrance Day with students while including their perspectives in the school’s assemblies.
“I wanted them to have a deeper connection with what the ceremony is about and incorporate that through poetry,” said Varpaul, who is a member of the school’s Remembrance Day planning committee. “My hope was that by getting students involved in this, they would connect with the magnitude of Remembrance Day.”
The contest asked students to write poetry that clearly reflected the message of Remembrance Day, with thoughtful engagement of and relevance to themes of sacrifice, peace and honouring veterans. Other criteria included creativity and originality, a sense of the writer’s voice, emotional impact, language, style and structure.
The poems were evaluated by numerous teaching staff, with Grade 9 student Midu Nguyen being named the inaugural winner with We Remember, Not Resent, a poignant call for peace that draws from the experience of her grandparents, Nguyễn Hữu Khang and Vũ Thị Thanh Ngọc, as veterans of the Vietnam War.
“The stories I heard from my grandparents really inspired me because even though they witnessed such tragedy, they always spoke with compassion and never hatred,” said Nguyen. “That really spoke to me and that’s what’s emphasized in my poem when I say, ‘We remember, not resent.’”
The poem’s fourth stanza ends with the line, “No less human on either side,” signifying that there are real people on all sides of war and conflict. Nguyen said the line stands out for her as an encapsulation of the message she wants readers to take away from her poem.
“Usually people pick sides in war,” she said. “It’s really sad that in our world currently, things are happening that shouldn’t happen. I truly believe that we’re all equal.
“We’re all the same, we’re all human, we all bleed the same red.”
Scroll down to read Nguyen’s poem, We Remember, Not Resent.
Many other schools across Surrey and White Rock recognized soldiers and veterans:
- Kwantlen Park Secondary hosted its Remembrance Day ceremony, featuring historical displays on Canadian and Indigenous soldiers;
- White Rock Elementary honoured veterans with student-made wreaths and artwork;
- Elgin Park Secondary showcased student art in its ceremonies, including a piece commemorating the famous Wait for Me, Daddy photo; and
- Strawberry Hill Elementary students made artwork emphasizing peace and remembrance.
To our veterans, thank you for your courage, bravery and sacrifice for your country. We will always remember.
We remember, not resent
By Midu Nguyen
On fields once torn by fire and steel,
where silence blooms, the earth can heal.
The poppies rise, a crimson tide,
for those who fought, for those who died.
Their names are carved in stone and sky,
in whispered winds that still ask, “Why?”
They marched for kin, for cause, for land,
some never grasped war’s trembling hand.
Yet now beneath the quiet rain,
we mourn not just their death but pain.
Not just for sides, not flags unfurled,
but for the weight they bore for the world.
And in the hush, a thought remains,
beyond the scars, beyond the chains,
that once, like us, they dreamed and cried,
no less human on either side.
“We have no enemies,” the veteran said,
“Not even those our ancestors bled.
For hate is born where fear is fed,
and peace begins when love is led.”
So on this day, we don’t just grieve,
we vow to build, to plant, to weave.
A future shaped by joined hands,
not sharpened blades or broken lands.
Let memory guide us, fierce and true,
through fields of loss toward skies of blue.
They died to give the world a voice.
Let peace, not war, become our choice.
