Peace

M. Fennell

(Written at age 14)

Peace, war, love, hate
Call of the wild, destiny, fate
Seers, poets, and PhDs
The future these prophets think they can see

Morals, ethics, the subject of sex
Searching for meaning, strive for success
Intelligence, understanding, suaveness and couth
Or the superficiality of our nation’s youth

Parent’s desires, the American Dream
Society’s demands, the Greek golden mean
Live for possessions, live for the quest
Forever ask questions, don’t be a pest

Ah! Blessed are we who can make our own choice
Yet so difficult to sort out - to follow which voice?
Who am I? Why am I here? These inquiries never will cease
Before I die, may the answers appear, perhaps then I will find my peace

Note: This poem has several special meanings.

First, this poem is about the universal questions we all ask when we are starting out in life.

It was written when I first was questioning the world, and my own views.

And as such, many young people have found value in this poem - as they go through similar questions in their life.

 

Second, as an art form, people have told me things they liked.

There is not only the issues, but the constant pounding that is in your head over all these questions, and that is something I built into the rhythm of the poem.

Also that it starts with peace, and ends with peace, used in two different ways.

 

Third, compare this poem, to another poem, Freedom. Freedom is in many ways an answer to this poem, as best as I could articulate.

 

Fourth, this poem started my world of writing, as it was the first poem I won a contest for, and got published. Getting this poem published, years after I wrote it, started my belief in my writing, which, in turn, helped me create many works which people have enjoyed.

 

Finally, I almost lost this poem. I gave the only copy to my English teacher. It was only years later when I stopped for a visit, that I saw this poem posted on her door.

 

In all, there are a bunch of amazing things with this poem, not the least of which is how I did actually feel at peace later, something I never thought I'd feel when I actually wrote it.