Poem for Peace

Oh look at the moon!
She is shining up there
Oh mother, she looks like a lamp in the air
Let’s maintain peace everywhere

Oh look at the moon, sun and stars
When I look at them, we have peace in our hearts
God is great, he put us all in the world
Let’s maintain peace everywhere

Look at the moon, it reflects peace
We can see this during the night
It has no one disturbing it
Let’s maintain peace everywhere

All this is to God’s glory
He gave all this
We have love and peace in our hearts
Let’s share it with one and all

Mary Ernesi

The World is at Peace

Grown up people
scurry here and there
upon the crust of the earth
cursing each bump, grudging dis n’ dat
like a garden full of bitter weeds.
I am a child,
filled with salt from the sea mist
and the smell of green
that rides the air and feeds me
as I breathe in and out.
A cooling breeze strokes musical notes
as it brushes the leaves
of the banana and breadfruit trees.
John crows jabber, parrots gossip and
Hummingbirds delight in the suckle of
the lime-bush flower.
The warmth of the sun wraps me
as I journey through each day.
The light of the moon guides me
as I find my bed and pray
for my family, my country,
all people to notice,
that the world itself is at peace.

Tanika Stewart

Differences

If I drink my coffee
with two spoons of sugar
and you drink your coffee with four
it doesn’t mean that mine is sweeter
it means our taste is different

If I am cold in the wind
and you are warm
it doesn’t mean you are not sensitive
it means that the warmth in our body
is different

If I hear the wind of the trees
and you don’t
it doesn’t mean that my hearing is better
it means we hear different things

If I look to the sky and see a kite
and you see an airplane
it doesn’t mean that I don’t see well
it means we see different things

The difference between us
makes us closer
If for taste, music, feelings
and appearance we act differently
it shows how special we are

Odelia

Originally published in KidSpirit Online for the Conflict and Peacemakers issue.

These poems represent a larger collection of Poems for Peace which was a poetry exchange between youth worldwide. Cross-cultural connections are established through the sharing of ideas, hopes, fears and dreams, weaving a strong and colorful tapestry of peace
.

When Mary Ernesi wrote Poem for Peace she was 12 years old and living in Njia-Panda, Tanzania.

When Tanika Stewart wrote The World is at Peace she was 14 years old and living in Three Hills, Jamaica.

When Odelia wrote Differences,she was a teenager living in Israel.

Artwork by Gracie Gralike, created when she was 15 years old. She is from St. Louis, Missouri.