PostPoems Be Artistic. Be Creative. Be Inspired!

I dream about a world where every one wakes up each day

Looks out their window and sings at the top of their lungs….

vociferously….

Let their be peace on Earth…

and let it begin with me.

Since the dawn of civilization…since we humans were begun

look at all we have accomplished…look at all the things we’ve done.

When you stop to think about it…our accomplishments are grand…

We built boats to take us across the waters…

and cars so we can drive across the land.

We’ve learned to harness the wind and sun… 

to glide high in a balloon….

We’ve sent rockets to the stars.

We landed people on the moon.

We learned how to use electricity and fire

to provide us with warmth and light.

We built houses with indoor plumbing…

We taught ourselves to read and write.

When you look at all we’ve accomplished…

and how every day we add something new

It makes one stop and wonder…

is there anythings we human’s can’t do?

But there is a downside to our creativity…if you’re keeping score…

We’ve also created different ways to kill each other….

In our hate…we’re created guns and bombs…and war.

Oh, how I wish we humans would combine our expertise…

Would put our collective minds together 

and find a way to create peace.

Creating peace, I believe, would be our greatest accomplishment of all…

And…until we do all our other achievements 

will seem meager,  

insignificant…

and small.

When it comes to peace:

May we be blessed with the humanity 

the compassion

the acceptance 

and the generosity…to deserve it

as well as the character 

the courage…

the wisdom 

and integrity to preserve it.

They come to our door dressed as witches…as princesses…

as wizards, as ghosts and goblins too…

As pirates, as cowgirls, as ladybugs…

as warriors who know karate or kung-fu.

“Trick-or-treat!” They say…

as through the night their numbers increase.

They look into our bowl of candy and ask,

“Please, may I have a piece?”

We gladly hand a piece to every baby

every child…every teen…

and when they say, “Thank you!” 

we all smile and say, “Happy Halloween!”

For one night the troubles we face in this world are forgotten…

because with every girl and boy…

under the costume…behind the masks

we see the innocent faces of peace and love and joy.

At the end of the evening we gaze into our bowl

that through the night by the children has been picked clean….

And I always wish handing out peace in the world

was as easy as handing out a piece of candy on Halloween.

I also make a second wish

once and all the monsters, ghosts and goblins have been fed:

I wish that while filling their bags with another piece of candy

we could assure them of a life filled with peace ahead.

Every day…may acceptance and compassion in each of us increase…

and may we continue to comfort one another

and be instruments of peace

Today’s blessing is a hope that, one day, 

we can find a way to resolve our differences 

peacefully

without the need to fight…

without the need kill.

Because as history has shown…

No good has ever comes from war

and no good ever will…

May we learn from the peace bell that sits high atop a hill in Duluth, 

which holds inside it’s chimes and everlasting truth….

That people who, at first, do no get along

can also make amends

that individual friendships can promote understanding

and that enemies can become friends.

Let me tell you about Duluth…one of the many highlights of our trip

She has an aerial lift bridge (which from our hotel room we could view)

where the entire road is lifted up so the big ships can float through.

It’s Interesting when a ship is through the channel 

it gives a horn sequence of two long and then two short toots

which the bridge operator repeats…completing the salute.

Duluth is a beautiful city…from our hotel it was such a thrill

to see the waters of Lake Superior as well as the houses on her hills

We took a scenic ride up into those hills…paused to enjoy the summer flowers

then stopped to visit atop Enger hill…a place called Enger Tower.

In the park where Enger tower sits…(the wonders of this trip never seem to cease)

there is a Japanese Zen garden and a huge bell…dedicated to peace.

The gardens are quite beautiful…peace is a beautiful thing

and in the quiet of the gardens you are encouraged to make the peace bell ring. 

he USS Duluth took Ohara-Isumi’s, original bell in World War II…after Japan’s fall

and gave it to Duluth…where it was displayed in their city hall.

Years later Ohara-Isumi asked that it be returned …hoping for a good deed

to which the city of Duluth wholeheartedly agreed.

So long after a devastating war was over…Ohara-Isumi, gave Duluth a call

they put their differences aside and became sister cities after all.

Ohara-Isumi gave Duluth this  peace bell…a replica of the one they had returned…

reminding us when it comes to war and peace…we still have a lot to learn.

As together Deborah and I made that bell chime

we thought of the men and women who fought and died all those years before

with the hope that ringing a peace bell could help stop all future wars.

We made two long then two short chimes on that bell

as a salute to those men and women who fought and died following their commands

praying one day peace will ring out

 in every household, 

every city

every corner of every land.,,

May every person be blessed to understand

The feeling a walk in nature will always increase

That there will always be peace in beauty

And where will always be beauty in peace