Peace
By Brian Appleton
June 18, 2004
iranian.com
Peace is a beautiful word
I think of freedom from conflict
I think of a rich silence
A field of red poppies
As far as the eye can see
A world where people speak
Only in soft whispers
Each time I see a nationalist
Waving his banner I wish
It were the UN flag
Each time I see a placard
Reading "God Bless America"
I wish it read "God Bless Every one..."
In the beginning of time
There was one world
No borders
No nation states
We built the barriers
The walls, the fortresses
The missiles, land mines
And bombs, the submarines
The jet fighters, the tanks...
It is within our power
To tear them all down
Once we set our hearts
Upon the task
Once we take a first
Step along that path
which leads to peace
Let us bow our heads
In humility and set aside
Our sins, our anger
Our lust for vengeance
Our vilification and demonization
Of other peoples and nations
And our neighbors
And beliefs
And the self deception of
Moral supremacy, let that
fall by the wayside too
And our notions of pre-destiny
And cultural superiority
And all our other biases
And ethnocenticities
And pray that God fill our
Minds and wills with compassion,
Forgiveness and selflessness
And a conviction to do the right thing
For everyone, let us practice
Justice and fairness and evenhandedness
For all not just preach it or pledge it
Let us define all as all nations not just
What is good for Americans
Or Albanians
Or Australians
Or Assyrians
Or Abyssinians
Or Andalusians
Or Anatolians
Or Armenians
Or Alto Atigians
Or Austrians
Or Atticans
Or Athenians
Or Athebascans
For peace concerns us all...
Let Him find favor
With our good deeds and take joy
In our sight
Instead of tears
Let us pray for
A time of healing
For nursing wounds
For joining hands
And hearts
For walking
A mile in each other's shoes
For setting aside
and celebrating differences
And for lifting each other
Out of the mud to
Look to the far horizon
Where the dawn's first
Light reveals the promise
Of a brand new day
Of forgiveness and understanding
And setting aside our greed...
For sharing the collective
Wealth of our ideas
 And if you are Godless
Then elect to make God our collective
Will and make our collective will be
Peace and every collective
act be one of pax
It is not enough to talk
It is time to act
As never before
It is time again to throw the money
Lenders out of the temple
.................... Spam?! Khalaas! *
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