Peace on Earth

Peace on Earth




I sit quietly, reverently listening to the song of a meadowlark.
I do not hear the whistle of mortars or explosions of bombs.

I admire my naked body in the mirror. I smile and am pleased.
I do not hobble on crutches, legless because of a land mine.

I enjoy my leisurely stroll to the library to read my favorite poets.
I do not live in a country where libraries have been destroyed.

I enjoy a cool glass of water as I read my book and relax.
My water pipes have not been demolished along with the buildings.

I enjoy a walk after supper to clear my mind and enjoy the sunset.
I do not fear being attacked, beaten, raped or taken hostage.

I return home to the company of my wife, sons and daughter-in-law.
My family has not been imprisoned, abducted or executed.

I lock the doors and relax in the security of my home.
My house has not been bombed and left as a pile of rubble.

Before I turn out the bedside light my wife whispers, "Pleasant dreams."
Shell-shocked soldiers can not fall asleep at night because of nightmares.

Because these events take place far away doesn't lessen their importance.
Peace on earth and goodwill to all men is possible, we must all do our part.




“What the horrors of war are, no one can imagine. They are not wounds and blood and fever, spotted and low, or dysentery, chronic and acute, cold and heat and famine. They are intoxication, drunken brutality, demoralization and disorder on the part of the inferior... jealousies, meanness, indifference, selfish brutality on the part of the superior.”
Florence Nightingale quotes (British Nurse and Humanitarian. 1820-1910)