When the nightly
news is a barrage
Of bluster and bile, bombs and debris
Gutted out buildings and leafless trees
Where it never rains or it always rains
And children line up for water
Of bluster and bile, bombs and debris
Gutted out buildings and leafless trees
Where it never rains or it always rains
And children line up for water
With wary looks at their surroundings—
I wonder.
If there were no religion
would it matter?
Would the flowers at sunrise
call to the butterfly
to come among the blooms
with downy stroke
and the bee to drink from
what was fermented in the night
while thrushes forage for seeds
and stay out of sight?
For Poets Here . . . a prayer for peace
11 comments:
Sigh. This is so beautiful. The contrast between your first stanza and the second is exactly what we're living now - grateful for the beauty all around, but so very aware of too much suffering everywhere. A really beautiful poem that speaks right to the heart.
Hi Sherry,
Thank you so much. I'm glad you liked it. Happy New Year.
Good question... Perhaps it wouldn't matter - not to nature going about its business, not to humans who will find other reasons to hate and war - it is mostly about economics and power, anyway.
Against this dark background of the human world Nature stands out in its beauty, like peace itself. This contrast is sharp. Well captured.
Good question -- I never thought of that: If there were no religion, would it matter? But then there is color or, as Rajani said, power. Unfortunately humans would find some reason to try to oppress others, I think, either on a large country-size scale or within the boundaries of one's own country (sexual orientation, for example). Your last stanza is beautiful!
Rajani,
And men, sad to say. What if women were in charge?
Thanks for commenting.
Sumana,
Thank you.
Mary,
Yes, we humans would find a way to oppress and destroy. It just seems like religion is at the core of every conflict.
I like the parallel of children to the small nature beings. They belong together in wonder and nature. I don't think religion protects either--or few religions do. This is a great poem. It makes me aware of the soft loving life that tries to exist despite the hard realities of money and weapons and intolerance.
I like the use of alliteration and other sounds in the lines:
‘When the nightly news is a barrage
Of bluster and bile, bombs and debris
Gutted out buildings and leafless trees’
and the beautiful image in
‘flowers at sunrise
call to the butterfly’.
Thank you Kim. I love "soft" rhymes. And other poetic devices, like alliteration. Thank you!
I like the poetry surrounding the wonder of the basic question.
Thanks Tony!!!
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