living and teaching

francis lived and taught
peace and good
thoreau lived and taught
civil disobedience within lives of quiet desperation
king lived and taught
injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere

lives and voices through time have taught us that peace
makes us truly blessed but
their effort appears to be a whisper against
the voices and actions of those who hate
voices fueled
by greed
power
control
dominance
often supported by “holy” words
slavery
war
segregation
isolation
extermination
today’s voices for peace

are but a whisper against thundering tides of hatred
is it possible that whispers combined in a chorus of
pacem in terris
detached from dogma or
appeals to nonexistent deities
could unite those who are strangers to peace and good
whose desperate lives need to disturb the peace through civil disobedience
where injustice everywhere needs to be broadcast and tweeted 24/7

humanity must unite
for from a few we have become many and
on this lonely pale blue orb
we are one

Paul Cech has been writing poetry since 1970. Several of his poems have been published as Saturday Poems in the Pittsburgh- Post Gazette and the Thomas Merton Center of Pittsburgh has published several of his poems in NewPeople. Read other articles by Paul.