Can we keep peace alive?

“Gratitude begins in our hearts and then dovetails

 into behavior. It almost always makes

 you willing to be of service, which 

is where the joy resides. . . ."

― Anne Lamott, Help, Thanks, Wow

 

Do you, too, feel paralyzed as bombs
and guns continue their killing sprees?
((Do you, too, tend to objectify
weapons as if people did not aim them?))
Do you, too, stand by your senators’ doors
asking them to withdraw support for wars?
 
Or are you the letter and poem writers,
the artists who create performance and
visual arts for spirit-starved people?
Do you pour food and medical aid
into war and impoverished zones,
helping those who lost limbs and homes?
 
Ah, troubled, generous friends, remember
to treat yourselves as you would treat others
with love and hugs and all sorts of nurture.
Remember to keep your sleep safe so you
can keep children’s safer, to love yourself
as you would love a neighbor.  Remember
 
they also help who only wait or pray,
who grow and raise food or report the news.
Remember they also help who protect
the earth's wildlife, teach school and inquiry, 
provide therapy, and keep our streets safe.
Remember gratitude before it’s too late.
 
To end wars, we need gratitude like we
need manure to enrich soil. We have
to learn to value those who spread kindness,
curiosity, and conversation—
the rich loam in which seeds of peace can grow.
To keep peace alive, we need everything we know.

 For my prompt "For Peace" at What's Going On?

My blog poems are rough drafts.

Please respect my copyright.

© 2023 Susan L. Chast