Saturday, September 21, 2013

SEARCHING THE MEANING OF PEACE

Waiting for my coffee, I doodle.




Not everyone seeks peace.
Some don't know about it.
They fight to be right, lead battalions,
spill other's red intrinsic beauty.
Their egos, a heart pulsing a marching beat.
Their ignorance creating victims
for whom peace is just a mist.

Others have heard of peace,
but wage internal battles,
or struggle with external storms.

Still others prefer life from a parachute,
jumping, jumping. One moment to next.
Peace a game of hide and seek,
a hope to find a heaven
that's never been lost.

Me, I thought I could learn about peace
from nature, see myself in calm waters,
in the spirit of a tree, the density of a cloud,
the wisdom of birds who know
when to be still, when to take flight,
in arching rainbows teasing my eyes,
tricking them into seeing from afar
colors that look still,
but are actually melting in a fog.

But, I learned nature doesn't teach peace,
it only gives a taste of its flavors when sweet.
Nature resembles us,
not always in balance or candy treat.

Then I thought I could find peace in meditation,
let myself fall into the abyss of nothing.
What could be more peaceful than nothing?

I learned I have so much to learn.
Stillness and silence just give me a glimpse
but then wake me up to flow or bump
within life's lucid dream.

I can't define peace,
though sometimes it holds me.
Like today at the farmer's market,
in the all the noise, the movement,
the buying, the selling,
the kind looks and smiles reciprocated,
the warm hand holding mine...
peace hugged me, like a newborn blanket.

For now, I must be satisfied with ideas:
That peace is mystery woven from love.
That it's something one does,
not just feels or dreams of.
That it takes practice,
that it's not governed by lack
or surplus of discomfort or fun,
That it's not all powerful,
it can be destroyed by fear.


Some things I do know, don't merely suspect:
Peace is
here, within the limitation of my words,
in the motion of living, inside/out our breaths,
and yes, even in death.

I also know my wish
that whatever it is,
it always be with you.


(Submitted to Dverse Poets.)






16 comments:

  1. spill other's red intrinsic beauty....love that...the spilling of their beauty...and it is in their ignorance...i like the admission as well that you cant define peace...in a sense we can but have never really experienced it...only small tastes...the last line raised the corner of my lips in a smile...yes.

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  2. I do feel peaceful in the midst of nature by which I mean being in the woods, in the mountains, by the ocean, or in the desert. Yet, I know that nearly everything in nature lives by killing, that nearly everything in nature dies alone, and that literally in nature dies without the benefit of medical care and painkillers. I'm aware of the irony in my feelings of peace, and I'm ever aware that everything I get from being in the wild is dependent upon being warm and having plenty of food.

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  3. Myrna, I feel like I just read a meditation on peace. I really enjoyed all of your reflections. I found it interesting thinking about nature not teaching peace...so true, as in nature there is always predator and prey...and then there are nature's hard-hitting storms. I tried meditation once too but failed because I could never clear my mind of thoughts and finally decided it wasn't for me. I like the idea that peace is 'here' within the limitation of your words. I think you are right!

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  4. Love the red intrinsic beauty. And mostly seek for peace (and savour the taste) in nature myself. Thank you. This is thought provoking and beautiful.

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  5. Honey, you are the real deal!


    ALOHA from Honolulu
    Comfort Spiral
    =^..^= <3

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  6. What a beautiful read this was. I especially love the trip to the farmers' market (there are always kind people there).....and LOVE "peace is a mystery woven from love." Wonderful!

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  7. I like the different perspectives on peace specially the notion that peace is here, a meditation, in every breathing and yes even in death ~ Cheers ~

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  8. That peace is mystery woven from love.
    That it's something one does,
    not just feels or dreams of

    Truly said Myrna! Love conquers everything and we do not need strong armies of soldiers to seek peace! If hate overcomes love then peace is at stake! Great!

    Hank

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  9. that it's a mystery woven from love - oh, i do think so

    i love the deep exploration of your poem, the honesty of not knowing... does anybody really know what peace is?

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  10. Still others prefer life from a parachute,
    jumping, jumping. One moment to next.
    Peace a game of hide and seek,
    a hope to find a heaven
    that's never been lost.... this was the stanza that spoke most to me... the jumping..jumping..one moment to next... sometimes i tend to do this as well.. a certain restlessness.. yeah..what do we really know about peace...we get glimpses of it in certain moments... what i think is that peace is not the absence of war...it is much more really...

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  11. Lots of deep thinking, and unanswerable questions, but I understand... inner peace takes practice. Meditation IS great for that. Thanks for the ending sentiment and same to you, Myrna!

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  12. This is so sweet, Myrna--I think you are right - peace probably could be available much more than we allow it to be. You describe a real journey towards it here--I found the part of the parachute jumping especially vivid--I wonder why! (Maybe I know it all too well!) Thanks. k.

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  13. This is wonderful. So rich and deep.

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  14. That phrase, "fight to be right," really hit me today. You've struck a chord with this, Myrna. Thank you.

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  15. I enjoyed reading your exploration of the places and the ways to find peace. Yours is a thought- provoking poem. I also liked how the closing stanza throws a different light on the whole poem.

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  16. Loved this flow of thought or rather the thinking aloud of your mind. You're right when you say that one cannot describe peace and often I wonder whether nature is peace or chaos. I guess it's both and we decipher according to our state of mind.

    Joy always,
    Susan

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