Pause today
and walk among the graves
of those who fought with pen or sword

Read aloud the names on stones too often ignored
reflect on all that they were pushing us towards
everything they gave trying to right wrongs

Until shadows grow long
then march on

**********

I wrote this poem for little infinite’s International Peace Day themed poetry contest. I confess, I had to Google the holiday to learn about it. But I welcomed the challenge of writing about something other than me or my gothic flights of fancy.

What I learned was that International Peace Day was declared by the UN General Assembly in 1981 to recognize those who have worked to end conflict and promote peace. Celebrated every September 21st, it is also intended to be a ceasefire, literally and metaphorically.

I wanted to write a poem about remembrance. A recent walk through a Veteran’s cemetery that bordered a nature park, and the prominence of the Back Lives Matter movement this year had a heavy influence on the final result.

Voting for the contest is open until September 30, and you can vote for my poem here.