Wednesday 9 March 2011

Peace process

This is a poem of mine from 2005. It was published in Streetwise 61, Winter 2005, p. 14, from St Matthew's church, Cambridge.

PEACE PROCESS


School memories erupt, won't be shut down --
doubts of them double, do not halve, the dinning --
no footage is to hand for settlement
of who more sinned against did what, who sinning.

Don't even try old diaries for wrongs
committed, rights affirmed, in that class war.
Just hold this neutral, global overview:
you were a misfit and unpopular

but have learned from it, and the current burst
probably springs from troubles of today.
Now answers then, maybe, not vice versa.
Such thinking sends no memories away,

but use it. Acupressure bands, boiled sweets,
hard breathing, window open, eyes fast shut
or aiming at the far horizon, all
together work no better peace than that.