25 June 2025

What is peace?

 

source

Peace is more than stopping wars waged with weapons
Peace is the end of fear and release from hiding
Peace is abundance shared for the love of giving
Peace is watching a peony slowly bloom
 
I crave peace.
 
Peace is more than singing and dancing
Peace is reading by natural and artificial light
Peace is walking and riding and talking and laughing
Peace is sitting in a café and writing
 
I want to share peace with you.
 
Peace is more than the calm of quiet and prayer
Peace is conversation with neighbors and strangers.
Peace is knowledge and peace is creation
Peace is reading a love poem to a tree
 
Let us create peace.


For Mary's prompt "Yearning for peace" at What's Going On? 

 

My blog poems are rough drafts.
Please respect my copyright.
© 2025 Susan L. Chast



11 comments:

  1. Mary6/25/2025 11:17 AM

    Your poem brings me peace, Susan. I like thinking about peace as you describe it. These are my favorite lines to contemplate right now:
    "Peace is walking and riding and talking and laughing
    Peace is sitting in a café and writing."
    I should read this poem every morning to get me in a positive mindset for the day. Thank you, Susan.

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  2. Sherry Blue Sky6/25/2025 11:30 AM

    I LOVE "Peace is reading a love poem to a tree." Such a beautiful message. Under all the cacophony of noisy "leaders", we, the people, find our own ways of maintaining peace. I am also thinking of Benjamin Creme's quote: "There can be no peace without social justice", so we have some way to go to get there.

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  3. Sumana Roy6/25/2025 12:12 PM

    "Peace is watching a peony slowly bloom"...I love the comfort and calmness around these words and all that peace is made of mentioned by you. "Let us create peace." This seems to be the need of the hour.

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  4. rallentanda6/25/2025 6:48 PM

    Moments of peace are essential in a life. ...Watching a flower bloom, love and most importantly giving.

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  5. Rajani6/25/2025 8:25 PM

    Yes, yes and yes! Peace is reading a love poem to a tree...I want all of this for everyone, Susan...I want to believe it is possible...all this beauty.

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  6. Jae Rose6/25/2025 9:51 PM

    I love your description of the seemingly simple things in life that bring us peace - so very important - Jae

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  7. Intelliblog6/26/2025 12:52 AM

    How wonderful your poem is, Susan! Peace is within us and it is up to us to "create peace" as your last line says. I have gone down this path in my poem too!

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  8. Fireblossom6/26/2025 8:03 AM

    My former next door neighbors, an elderly couple, had gorgeous peonies all along the common fence, on their side. I loved them. Then the new cementhead moved in and his lawn guys weed whack them down to the ground. I mentioned it to him and he waved his hand and said, ah, they'll grow back, but every week the yard crew still weed whacks those that are left. It makes me sad. People who are blind to beauty give me a serious cramp. The good news is, my walnut tree drops walnuts on his stupid truck!

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  9. Amy Barlow Liberatore/Sharp Little Pencil6/26/2025 5:11 PM

    Creating peace is so hard for me, personally. I have outrage fatigue, so this poem really gave me pause to reflect on what I can do within myself. Thanks, Amy

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  10. AJ6/29/2025 10:39 AM

    Susan this line captures it all - 'Peace is reading a love poem to a tree'

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  11. purplepeninportland.com7/01/2025 7:58 PM

    This is a very comforting poem, Susan.

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