Photos With Permission of Photographer
Peace
They walk the long road
from Texas to Washington,
robes and sandals,
nothing extra.
Their lives are simple.
Purposeful—
resolved.
Day after day they walk.
I imagine myself beside them,
learning how to move
without urgency,
without rage
without fear
without anxiety.
Aloka walks with them,
nose to the ground,
heart untroubled
by flags or slogans
or evil intentions.
He loves the road
because it is there.
I want to be
like Aloka.
These days
my heart is loud
with politics,
disbelief, anger,
fear.
I cannot settle safely.
I want another way.
Peace, maybe,
is not silence
but choosing
where to place each foot.
One step.
Another.
Leaving something behind.
For Susan's prompt at What's Going On: "Peace"
This is my all-time favourite of your poems, Mary! It is perfect. "I want to be like Aloka." Me, too. "Peace, maybe, is not silence but choosing where to place each foot." This is true wisdom.
ReplyDelete"I imagine myself beside them,
ReplyDeletelearning how to move
without urgency,
without rage
without fear
without anxiety." Oh, yes! "One step. / Another. / Leaving something behind." It feels like peace to me, too--to be able to take strong actions in the spirit of peace. I love this poem!
I love the sense of solidarity and hopefulness the monks bring - Jae
ReplyDeleteOh these beautiful peaceful monks Very impressive I love the lines Peace, maybe,
ReplyDeleteis not silence
but choosing
where to place each foot.
"choosing where to place each foot." - peace is found in our choices. Nicely done 👏
ReplyDeleteA wonderful poem, Mary, evoking Gandhi's "Satyagraha" and its power to bring about change and peace.
ReplyDeleteI want to be like Aloka too. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteI wish to be Aloka. Maybe choosing where to place each foot is the key.
ReplyDeleteExcellent poem, Mary!