I read this poem by Mary Oliver this morning and I thank her for the reminder.
Wage Peace by Mary Oliver
Wage peace with your breath.
Breathe in fireman and rubble,
Breathe out whole buildings
and flocks of redwing blackbirds.
Breathe in terrorists and breathe out
sleeping children
and freshly mown fields.
Breathe in confusion and breathe out
maple trees.
Breathe in the fallen
And breathe out lifelong friendship intact.
Wage peace with your listening:
Hearing sirens, pray loud.
Remember your tools:
flower seeds, clothes pins, clean rivers.
Make soup.
Play music, learn the words for thank you in three languages.
Learn to knit, and make a hat.
Think of chaos as dancing
raspberries,
Imagine grief as the outbreath of beauty
or the gesture of fish.
Swim for the other side.
Wage peace.
Never has the world seemed so fresh and
precious.
Have a cup of tea and rejoice.
Act as if armistice has already arrived.
Don’t wait another minute.
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