Peter Howard's plain version of A Poppy is arranged in three different parts.
The first part is the largest of the poem, where the author explains through several
flowers and colours the scene of the war that takes place. The sentences we find in
this section are formed by sentences from 6 to 12 words. The second part is
composed by the scientific terms of the flowers together with an explanation of the
meaning of each one. The lines in this section are from 1 to 3 words each. The last
part that is only a sentence formed by 7 words talks again about the action of war
and what the general obtained with it. Opposed to the animated version, this plain
version of the poem underlines only two sentences with inverted commas: "Is there
no myrtle?" "When will common hawthorn prevail?"; both referring to the lack of
hope in front of this destruction and the wish for peace.
       From my point of view this version of the poem is not as rich in meaning as the animated version because the later is based on the meaning and connotations of
flowers combined with the feelings that are contained in colours. This plain version
does not allow this additional meaning. One example is the large red stain that
symbolises the blood in the animated version and that does not appear in the plain
version. Obviously this contrast is not present in the plain version, the same as the
badges that add meaning to the last sentence of the animated version of the poem.
Nevertheless this plain version allows the reader to use directly his/her imagination
as vehicle to conceive the image of war, what is without any doubt a more
subjective and free way to conceive the battle scene proposed by the author.