thoughts of peace
fade into a weekend
filled with relaxation
there is no need
to make peace happen
when I happen to be
peaceful.

I want to grab war by the neck
and throttle it into silence
I want to wrench peace out of darkness
and throw it out there
out there anyway I can
to get it known
peace is here
where are you?

I am so angry
you will not turn up
in peace.

I want you to make peace
now
and in my anger
peace dissolves
into a thousand discordant fragments
of what could have been
if I had not been
so angry
peace was silenced.

There is no way
to peace
Peace happens
when we make it
the way
of living
in peace
amongst us
between us
within us.

Peace beckons
shimmering in the shadows
at the corners of my mind
calling me to let go
of what holds me back
from stepping into peace
calling me

When the war came
he hid inside the walls
of his home
hoping war would go
away

and he became lost
in the fear
that war was the only way
to find peace

When the war went away
he waited
behind closed doors
for its return
fearing

to let go of war
would be the death
of peace

In the end
the war returned
and he fell
defending
what he held onto

In the end
he gave his life
for peace

In the long view of a prairie field
stretched out to the horizon
a long tree stands
rooted in time
it is calling
calling me
to let go fear
to release time
and listen to
the Universe
calling

It is calling
Calling me to be
all that I am

It is calling
Calling me to let go
and be
all that I am
in a world of possibility

I reach out
and touch the sky
and peace rains
all around me.

I went searching for peace
looking in every corner
in every nook and cranny
I searched for it in books and courthouses
in soap boxes and overturned judgements
I searched for peace around the globe
and found myself
where I began
deep within my soul
planted in my heart
full of peace.

Let peace begin with me.

It is tempting
to forget there is peace
in conflict
to believe
the only resolution
to our differences is
found
on the battlefields
of war.

It is tempting
to hold onto
that which makes us different
letting go of
where we stand
for peace
on common ground.

It is tempting.

To make peace
we must first
make room
for harmony
to rise up
and greet us
on the playing fields
of our humanity

To make peace
we must first stand
on common ground
and not be tempted
by the ease of war
to resolve
our differences.

Peace walks
stumbling in the dark
of dreams
lost
on the battlefields
of lives torn
and shattered
by arms
of mass destruction

Peace waits
holding out arms
of hope
rising up
on the killing grounds
where no man
walks away
from the dark
night of war

Peace beats
its drum
pounding in the hearts
of soldiers
who lay down
their arms
empty
of bullets
that killed
with each shot

Peace rises
up
and we stand
together
in the name of peace
and war
falls
lost
on the battleground
never
to be taken up
again.

Peace be among us.

©2012 Louise Gallagher

I’m sorry
those words
fraught with meaning
never came easily to you

I’m sorry
your words were held silently
on your tongue
tainting each breath
with regret

I’m sorry
I stood silently
on the shores
of time
passing
waiting for you
to say
the words I longed to hear

In your unspoken words
I searched
for meaning
holding on
to anger
flashing across
the distance
between our hearts

I’m sorry
I let anger
hold me back
from saying the words
that lay silent on my tongue

I’m sorry
you had to go
before I could say
Peace be with you.