Had the world always been so

Crimson,

Blood-soaked,

Drowning in the entity

That gave it life?

 

Withering silently,

Strangled slowly,

From the horrors

Of deaths too soon.

Not yet, please not yet,

It was not her time, not his,

Not for the child who did not know

Hatred,

But oh hatred

Kills

Through the bodies that bear it,

Fermenting slowly

Until it explodes,

Taking away lives

Too soon.

 

And we are left to wonder

Why?

 

It is the ones left–

Stranded on mortal land

That suffer the longest.

Nights of crumpled tissue, stinging eyes,

Salty warm rivers that

Carve ridges along their face,

Expressionless, walking zombies,

Sorrow etched in pained hearts–

It will not go away,

Not until I leave this Earth, they say

But perhaps

A piece of them died too that day.

 

These horrors around us

Are not isolated

To the victims.

They do not just affect the dead,

Or the family of dead,

Or the country of the dead.

 

Each shooting, battle, war

Is a testament of humanity.

A life lost that we could have

Known,

Someone who could have

Bettered this world,

In ways that will never be

Shown.

 

Peace is not a dream,

It is not an option,

Not a treaty,

Not a solution

Printed, sealed, passed

On sheets of paper

Among men in suits, shining armor.

 

Peace exists, regardless

Of whether we listen to it

Or not.

It invades our souls,

Makes us question death,

Fear blood,

Write,

Read,

Feel,

Until finally

We can say

Enough. This is all.

This is not war for a cause. This is massacre.

 

Before then,

Peace will campaign, Peace will protest,

Peace will linger in speeches of presidents,

In the words of poets

In the eyes of every man, woman, child

Who knows what it means

To be alive.

 

Peace is here, in all of us,

And always will be.

 

We just have to find it again.

 

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This is my contribution to the Poets for Peace movement, hosted by Forgotten Meadows and initiated by The Poetry Channel. I think the collaboration is a brilliant idea, and have enjoyed reading the many poems sent in. With all the bloodshed and violence that has been occurring around the world, it is important to do what we can to advocate for peace. If you have any thoughts regarding the violence, this collaboration, etc., feel free to comment. And if you’re into poetry, or want to take a dab at it, consider adding a piece! I would love to read what you write. 🙂