Wednesday, December 19, 2012

Wage Peace and JOY will Reign



Wage Peace
by Judyth Hill, September 11, 2001


Wage Peace with your breath.
Breathe in firemen and rubble,
breathe out whole buildings and flocks of red wing blackbirds.
Breathe in terrorists 
and breathe out sleeping children and fresh mown fields.
Breathe in confusion and breathe out maple trees.
Breathe in the fallen and breathe out lifelong friendships intact.
                 Wage peace with your listening: hearing sirens, pray loud.                   
           Remember your tools: flower seeds, clothes pins, clean rivers. Make soup. 
              Play music, memorize the words for thank you in 3 languages.
              Learn to knit, and make a hat.
              Think of chaos as dancing raspberries,
imagine grief
as the outbreath of beauty
or the gesture of fish.
              Swim for the other side.
     Wage peace.
              Never has the word seemed so fresh and precious:
              Have a cup of tea and rejoice.
              Act as if armistice has already arrived.
Celebrate today.
    
Additionally from me:        
     Celebrate you and those close to you.
Hug them deeply.
Love them fully.
Take time to sit by the fire and hold JOY.
       Mourn for those lost and hold them in your heart.  
          (in memory of those lost by violence this year)      

8 comments:

Annie Jeffries said...

And alway, before you act, just close your eyes and ........ breathe.

Jeanie said...

A beautiful poem -- and stimply stunning photos.

GardenOfDaisies said...

Yes, it's the only thing we can do... breathe, go on, try to make life good for those around us, move past the evil and chaos, hold babies close, have a cup of tea...

Wishing you a very happy Christmas.

koralee said...

Such a lovely poem...

About my little lantern lights...HOT GLUE...that is what holds them on...easy peasy!
Sending you oodles of joy for a very blessed week.

Jeanne said...

I always use the quote celebrate you and surround yourself with people that do..........I love all your postings. Love you
Jeanne♥

Cathy said...

Thought provoking post, Marilyn. Merry Christmas.

beth said...

AMEN !

xo

Joy said...

So beautiful, and it gave me goosebumps. Thank you!