POEMS OF PEACE: BY BJORN, TONI AND PAUL

Today, my friends, the day before September 11th, a day when the world we knew toppled around our ears 17  years ago, we are contemplating peace, in poems written by Bjorn Rudberg, of  Bjorn Rudberg's Writings,  Toni Spencer,  known to us as Kanzen Sakura, and Paul Scribbles,  who writes at his blog of the same name. Peace being even more elusive these days, I thought it would be nice to contemplate the topic, in all of its colors and possible locations. We hope they speak to you.

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WHAT'S THE COLOR OF PEACE?

It must be a color less like the soil
not ochre, sienna or brown
reminding of trenches or graves;
it cannot be red
as the rage of revenge,
the color of wounds.

It cannot be blue as depression of death.
nor green as the battlefield grass;
not grey as the ashes of seamen
tossed to the waves;
not black like a dress for a widow
not yellow of gangrene
or corpses left in the sun.

The color of peace has to be white
white as the carrier pigeons
      bringing back letters to home,
white as the paper of unwritten poems
white as the canvas for painters
white as daylight in spring;
white as the hope of armistice,
white as the mother of rainbows,
white as beginnings and ends,
white as the new fallen snow,
white is the color of peace.

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Sherry: White is such a peaceful color, the color of doves. I love the idea there is a mother of rainbows.

Bjorn: I wrote this poem for a prompt on peace. If I remember correctly the prompt was originally more in the terms of a peaceful place, but I think that any place can be peaceful if you find peace in yourself.

I actually started my poem by asking myself what color I could associate with peace, and when I thought awhile I found it easier to dismiss most colors because of their association with war and death. Of course white could also have association to death, but I thought that the best part of white is that of opportunities in a blank sheet of paper or a painter’s canvas. That peace always means to start anew, by hinting at from the white we can reclaim every color again (as the mother of rainbows). I was actually stuck when I wrote this poem, but it incorporates some of the elements that can be used when writing about something as abstract as peace:

• Tie it to something you can feel with your senses (sight, scent, sound or touch)
• Remember also the opposite… describing peace in opposite to war.
• Lists are always effective when you get stuck.

As this poem was a very rough sketch, I think that it could be worked on a little bit more, like using some of the nuance of color rather than the primary colors. I think it might benefit from making some of the descriptions more specific, like writing trenches of Somme instead of just trenches. I don’t think any poem is ever finished… and most ideas could be worked on using our poetic toolbox. 

Sherry: Thank you, Bjorn, for your poem and for some cool tips on writing. We so appreciate that!

Toni had a very definite perspective on the color of peace. Let's take a look.

RED IS THE COLOR OF PEACE

Peace comes in many colors – like the rainbow,
like us humans or animals or flowers.
You may not think so, but red is the color of peace –
the tomato plucked from the bounty of my backyard garden
and handed over the short fence to the neighbor next door –
red of holly berries nestled among dark green clusters
of leaves hidden deep in the forest, with white snow
softly falling or the cardinal perched on the branch –
The red of maple leaves preparing for winter sleep
or the red of the rose given to a beloved.
Long blondeblackbrownred braids tied at the ends
with perky red bows.
Red is the color of peace – of units of blood donated
for someone about to undergo life saving surgery
for the child with cancer
or the service person needing
emergency treatment.
The wild apples are red and hang down far enough
a herd of deer can satisfy their hunger.
Red are the azaleas planted by my father years ago
that continue to bloom after all this time.
Strawberries from my garden are rich and red and sweet.
Red is also the color in the jars of preserves
I make and give out as gifts to anyone.
Red is my generations old flowering quince
blooming in a freezing snow.
The heart your child drew and the words “I Love You”
hangs with pride on your refrigerator door
photographed and posted on Facebook so everyone would know
– drawn with a bright red crayon.
Peace is what we make it and it is colored by our souls,
our hearts our words and actions.
If our words and actions do not speak of peace and hope
how can we be peace and hope to a world
sadly in need of both?
You may not think so, but red is the color of peace.

copyright kanzensakura

Sherry: I believe it is. I can see that red tomato, handed over the fence to a neighbor. 

Toni: People often think of the color red as being a color of aggression. Because I volunteer at the local Food Bank, cooking or delivering food, I have learned people miss fresh produce the most. So I began planting extra produce to share, especially luscious red tomatoes. One of my elderly people, Miss Pearl, particularly loved summer tomatoes but had not had a garden for years and could rarely afford a fresh tomato. Last year I shared my first tomato with her. Her yes grew big and full of tears as she cradled it against her cheek. I realized then that the color red was the color of love and peace. I began working on this poem, pulling out all the positives I could find about red. Red was also my mother's favorite color, so it is also the color of happiness to me.

Sherry: How I love the story of that tomato! I can see Miss Pearl's eyes, and am so happy you make sure she enjoys fresh tomatoes. Working with the Food Bank must be very rewarding. Good for you, doing what you can to ease peoples' struggle.

Let's wind up by reflecting on Paul's poem about peace. It is a beauty!

PEACE

Peace comes easy in the glade

birdsong soothing every moment

Peace comes easy in the forest

trees whispering songs of the ancients

Peace comes easy in the cabin

time moving so slowly it is stopping

but how do I find Peace in the broken

how do i find Peace in the war zones

how do i find peace with my own troubles

how do i find Peace when so many cannot

it is there

in the breath of the life i engage with

in the simple knowledge of being alive

in the  ever present eternal now

in the understanding that Peace is presence

and in the acceptance

that i can only be responsible

for my own

Sherry Marr photo

Sherry: You have summed it up perfectly, Paul. The only place we can truly find peace is within. Your glade sounds very beautiful, and must contribute greatly to your peacefulness.

Paul: I have often pondered the concept and practice of locating peace when others cannot. Can I truly have peace knowing others suffer? Can I find peace in the midst of my own suffering? In the poem, I lead with thoughts on how easy peace can come in nature. How it just drapes itself about our being.

However, what happens when thoughts arise that link us to situations that are not peaceful? Where do we go with that? My answer is to drop into being....into full presence...into the breath.....it works....and it perhaps allows us to accept that which we cannot change, allowing our own sense of peaceto remain alongside a compassionate heart for the suffering of others.

Sherry: Paul, you have expressed it to perfection. I have had to re-learn this truth personally this summer,  working to preserve my peacefulness in a situation where my response was all I could control. Thank you for saying this so well.

Thank you, dear poets, for your wonderful contemplation of peace. We do hope our readers enjoyed them as much as we did. Do come back, friends, and see who we talk to next. Who knows? It might be you!