Peaceful March

 

 

I live in the land where death does not fall from heaven

Does not rise from down under

Does not come from a mouth of a machine.

 

Many see this green land a land of peace

      ( “ You are peaceful people,  no doubt,

                                  said my Greek friend ).

In the eyes of the outsiders  --- yes, maybe

We are living in the absence of war--

 

Maybe they just forgot that

War comes in different forms.

 

Death comes to us from our everyday table

        ( Tell me, is there a difference between this death

                and the death that falls from heaven

                if both are thieves of today and tomorrow? )

Death comes to us from the roads

And from the no-ending construction of roads to “deceitful progress”

      ( Tell me, is there a difference between these deaths and the death

          that comes from the mouth of a machine gun if

          they are all  made of the same element: business )

 

There is no difference, if  not

For the less insane minds of my countrymen

       to fight with these deaths without shedding blood

For the greater courage of the hearts of those who know

      how to march, in resistance, without darkening their eyes.

 

Marching with slogans up without blacken-ing our  eyes,

Is not impossible, EDSA Revolution can tell.

Marching peacefully in the battlefield

Is not impossible, only  if

We choose to.

Author's Note

The logo attached is an edited version of the official seal awarded to me as Poet for Peace by an international organization. Edit was made for this page purposes only. Thank you.

Reviews

[David Scott]

It is how every true worrier enters every march. With peaceful resolution.
A fine write Belle.

[CD Campbell]

I think this was a really good piece. You have great insight and I admire the wording and presence. The only issue I have maybe is there are a few errors as far as things being in plural and some wording, but no big deal. I did read your profile and a few simple errors is definitely forgivable. Great work. CD

[Belle]

Thank you. Honesty from a credible critic is what I really, really need.

I sent this one to a friend, but he failed to do a fair correction, so I decided to stay in the original text though I was not happy, at some point, due to an intense feeling that there was something wrong in my grammar...The struggle is much on the fourth stanza, I am not even convinced of how I conveyed my feelings and my thoughts...it was like there's better words to say them than how I expressed them...I could have written it in my native language, but It had to serve my desire to be local and universal at times.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

there are ways to communicate, to protest, to get our point across without resorting to violence, wish everyone knew this...and followed that path with less destruction and more construction of peace and love.

a moving poem...