International Day of Peace 

The essence of a firefly in a child’s palm,

a faint spark against perpetual night,

echo of laughter in a valley of silence.

Hummingbird graffiti on a concrete wall,

a color that breaks the monotony of hatred,

a musical note out of tune with a war anthem.

Origami cranes,

a thousand wishes folded in paper of hope,

an army of dreams invading reality.

It is not a white flag of surrender,

but a secret garden blossoming ideas,

a weeping willow’s embrace

comforting the warrior.

A river of ink writing new stories,

a canvas painting possible futures,

a constellation of joined hands

illuminating the universe.