Song of Peace

When I turned on the BBC this morning,

all I heard was war—

not in one nation,

but in many;

not in one battlefield,

but across a wounded world.

I heard explosions

where children once played,

internet curfews

where voices longed to be heard,

countless casualties

whose names became statistics,

and smoke rising

where homes once held tomorrow.

When I turned on the local news this morning,

all I heard was death—

not only upon broken lands

torn apart by conflict,

but also on elevated roads

where ordinary journeys never reached home,

and beneath relentless rains

that carried away lives, dreams,

and every certainty.

Every headline bore another sorrow.

Every bulletin unveiled another grief.

Every breaking news

broke another heart.

When I turned inward,

all I heard was fear—

fear hidden behind silence,

fear flowing through tears,

fear gathering beneath the mountains of trash

we have left upon the earth.

For we have scarred

not only one another,

but also the world

that has patiently carried us.

Yet when I turned toward hope,

my heart found only one song:

Peace.

For war breeds worry.

The climate demands answers.

Life is too precious

to become another casualty.

Let us sing the song of hope,

not because the world is peaceful,

but because it longs to be.

Let us live—

not alone,

but together.

Let us become fearless hearts

that speak with compassion,

listen with humility,

and choose understanding

before judgment.

Let us replace explosions

with children's laughter;

replace hatred

with healing;

replace suspicion

with trust;

replace walls

with welcoming hands.

Let us plant trees

where smoke has risen,

build bridges

where hatred has divided,

and leave footprints of kindness

where fear once walked.

For the sky belongs to all.

The earth belongs to all.

The future belongs to all.

And peace must belong to all.

This world is vast in beauty,

yet brief in our keeping.

Let us not spend it

counting wars,

mourning disasters,

or fearing tomorrow.

Instead,

let us spend it

building hope,

protecting creation,

embracing one another,

and singing the oldest,

gentlest song

humanity has ever known—

the song of peace.