a vision of peace

the meaning of war?? a fruitless endeavor, played out continuously...why??

the trickle of quietude emanates peace,

bridges the gulf of cacophonous noise;

this peace is imbued by a whispering tint

that leads to a freeze of all war-driven toys.

 

interrupted by jolts of mechanical shock,

the peaceful are spurred by the ominous vibe;

any genius is quelled by an invasive tincture,

like a toxic medication that no one prescribed.

 

any vision is clouded, a nimble disguise,

that points out the bets that one may wish to hedge;

but the gambler will animate his will to push forward

to regain the peace and throw fears to the edge.

 

the more ardent of visions will offer a glimpse

of well-studied theories, a bridge to explore;

when these visions in time lead the way back to peace

we connect back to quiet, even now, needed more.

 

riki © 2016

 

Music: “Hands Held High,” by Linkin Park

 

Author's Note

Reviews

[Dani The Unreviewed]

War is a rich man's game,
they only get richer, while the lives lost on the battle fields become corpses buried under some flag. Maybe their names will get a "national hero " title ... and the winners write history.
but, what's it all good for?
The first world war tore my country in pieces, and we ended up, with 1/3 of the territories we had. and, lets not mention the deaths, and material losses ..
it's all bullshit. mankind is better off spending the billions on feeding the poor, sheltering the homeless, finding alternative energy sources, and ensuring that we have some water to drink, instead of killing thousands and
millions for no reason.
nice write

[dan]

Thank you Danny; You make a lot of intuitive, thoughtful observations. If only the powers that be were listening...someday? Thanks again. take care...dan

[Dani The Unreviewed]

Look man. I'm jus a stupid teen in a flipped up world, and even I can see that much... the powers are either stupider than I am, or they're jus too greedy, to stop now. the later is more likely. as history proved hundreds of times before... They wont admit, and try to correct their mistakes, until it is all too little too late.and it's all so obvious, that sometimes I feel like throwin up, jus thinkin about the stupidity of humanity.
maybe because I've seen lots of crap, too much already, but I hate violence, and avoid it, as far as I can...but I can tall about it all day long, no one will listen. at least, none of those who should. they'll be jus putting on their ties and suits, and continue poisoning people's minds with their s**t, and then steal from the idiots who go vote for em, but they wont even try keeping only one of those promises they made...
like one of our humorists ssaid "politicians are like pigeons. when they're on the ground, they'll eat from your palm, when they get up, they s**t on your head. "
hehehehe. and imma stop essay writing now... hahahahaha

[dan]

What are you flipping out on me for Danny? I agree with you wholeheartedly. But humans have been at war since the first cavemen threw rocks and sticks at each other. All we as war haters can do is let our voices be heard. But will all wars end, forever? Sadly, no. It'll keep going until nukes are flying all over the world, laying waste to a large part of humanity.
I'm WITH you, young man. Make your voice heard loud and clear. take care...dan

[Dani The Unreviewed]

sorry ...lols. didn't mean to be "flipping out at you".
lol

[Dani The Unreviewed]

Just shared this piece on Facebook, in a poetry group, and my wall. :)

[dan]

I don't do Facebook so I'm not sure what that means. Did you post my write on Facebook? In a poetry group? I hope you included my copywrite; don't want my poem getting published by anyone but me. But thank you, I'm honored that you chose to share my thoughts with others. Let me know if there is any reaction to it please? take care...dan

[Dani The Unreviewed]

I didn't copy your poem, I simply shared a link :)

[Dani The Unreviewed]

two likes so far. :)

[dan]

thank you for letting me know...dan

[zaisham9393]

We all want peace and it’s not about any religion or belief, it’s about humanity. Instead of pointing fingers on each other we need to do our part in making this a more peaceful world. I think we should not only end all this hatred but also put an end to the things that lead to war and hatred. War ends with silence and emptiness, and we want peace and love.
Thank You for sharing this with us dan :)!

[dan]

Zaisha, War will never disappear. It's been around since the cavemen started throwing rocks and sticks at each other. It's an even bigger shame, however, that most wars are driven by differences in religious beliefs. You and I can sit here and wonder why this can't be put to an end but the fact is that all that you and I can hope for is that this fight can be ended with you and I surviving and the least amount of innocent lives be lost. Thank you so much for your VERY thoughtful review. take care...dan

[zaisham9393]

You're welcome dan :)!

[JayceeC]

So peace is faught for, even if it is an internal struggle vs an external battle of wills and force. And where is the peace in any of it. Sometimes I think we only recognize peace if we struggle without it. It is the flip side of a very chaotic coin.

You used some of my favorite words in the first stanza so I will say that it is my fave, although I'm not toally sure since I always enjoy the whole write. Your opening line is sublime though.

Hope everything if fine with you and Dee. Much love. Jan

[dan]

And I really like the first paragraph of your review, especially the line: "Sometimes I think we only recognize peace if we struggle without it." So well said. And yes after the first stanza I struggled a bit with this one; I knew WHAT I wanted to say but had a hard time actually saying it. All the time I had the old saying in mind, "Fighting for peace is like screwing for virginity."
Now I'm headed to your page to review one of your writes. Thank you for the great review. take care...dan

[JayceeC]

LMAO...why have I never heard that saying :-D

[Josie E. Cook M. A.]

Love this with the music
Your ending is so fitting, too.
Our Current times are reflected here in your penned words. Nice structure and line breaks the flow is great.
The lead in stanza is powerful and descriptive.
Thanks for sharing.

[dan]

Josie, War seems to be a constant since I was born (in early Viet Nam days) but ideologies are so fluid and wars waged over religions can never solve anything; opposites will always remain opposite. Thank you so much for your kind words, always appreciated. take care...dan

[Insight "MH"]

We are being used as chess pieces by corporate sharks.
Thank you for this humane message.

[dan]

Insight, Thank you for your perceptive words...the one percenters send the poor to die needlessly. take care...dan

[Insight "MH"]

You are welcome.

[Ruth]

Such is a potent reach in these times...war is something that is cold calculated and simply an eye for an eye...sigh...made me feel deeply reflective Dan...it is never the common people who want it but always the higher powers that be and one has to ask what the hell their motives are...truly...corrupt is one word for their antics...as always, poignant :)

[dan]

Poppy, I'm old enough to remember the endless dysfunction that was Vietnam; the quagmire that war represents is now so old hat that the news doesn't surprise anymore. There are a lot of supposed reasons that we must now fight but it all comes down to oil and war profiteering. It is very discouraging to see no apparent end on the horizon.
Thank you so much for your review, much appreciated. take care...dan

[Ruth]

I agree...and welcome Dan :)

[E G TEN]

Hello Dan, amazing wordplay you had shared here, loving much the
Hedging on the bets. Living in Vegas I know exactly what you mean.
Very cool Sir, Thanks EG.

[dan]

Thank you, E G. Sadly peace may only be available in the form of a vision. All I can do is hope for the best. take care...an

[MsJewel]

You never cease to amaze me with the depth of your poetry Dan. Amazing work my friend.

Julie

[dan]

Julie, So nice to hear from you. Can you please send me RRs for your writing. Love poetry settles my restless mind so softly, and you are the best at love poetry. Hope all is well with you. Thank you so much for your input. take care...dan

[.]

War and the struggle for peace in the modern world.
We will always have wars. Have had and will have. The only thing we need to keep producing are true visionaries. People who have the courage, belief and sheer bloody mindedness to forge through the mire in search of truth and peace for mankind.

Another brilliant write, Dan. Very timely and powerful. Take care.

[dan]

Doodley, I am not an overtly religious person but I find myself praying way more than usual, hoping for the unlikely event of the powers that be extending olive branches to those at war. But wars have happened since the cave dwellers threw the first rock in anger and that will continue because it is part of the ways of the world. So I'll just keep praying. Thank you for the flattering review. take care...dan

[Nisreen]

Peace is to never be had in a world filled with war
unfortunately we have managed to become so modern but can never truly be civil within
this urge to hurt another is a symptom of greed
the average man is selfish
looking for the here and now
never realizing that within that lies destruction of love and calm for all

but it is what it is

A very profound piece dan
With much purpose and a loud message

[dan]

Nisreen, It's always an honor to be review by you, especially with a topic as toxic as war. Mankind has had wars since cavemen threw sticks and stones at each other, and I'm sure they made just as little sense as they do now. And yes, it will always be part of our lives. I suppose the best we can do is pray that it does not directly impact our own lives. Thank you for the excellent review. take care...dan

[guy drori]

Vision truly is something that is important, and something that many people do not have today.
I liked the way you ended this poem, in a very subtle way.
Had a fun read :)

[dan]

Thank you Guy. Please send me read requests so that I can reciprocate with the reviews. I really appreciate your read/reviews and would like to return the favor. Thank you for your time, thanks for the visit. take care...dan