Peace

Where is it in the world?
Nowhere, or so it appears
Except in the hearts and minds
Of a few saints whom no one sees.
Where you might expect to see hope and peace,
You get “Buddhist vigilantes,”
Previously an unthinkable oxymoron
But no longer. And “terrorists,”
Both real and imagined,
Strike in unexpected places
And unpredictable times.
So the love and peace
We looked and hoped for
In the 60’s and 70’s
Languishes in our minds
While, for the first time since the Cuban Missile Crisis
Insane governments seriously contemplate
Using nuclear weapons against one another
Without regard for the poor civilians
Who would be caught in their paths.
It's time to call “Stop”
To these and all other weapons
Both of mass destruction and not.

10/16/17