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War trapped in a jar.
IFLAC Children’s Peace Train
Poetry Festival 2014
Theme: “Peace in My Own Life”
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Organizers:
IFLAC: The International Forum for the Literature and Culture of Peace
Children’s Peace Train
Editors:
Solveig Hansen, IFLAC Web Editor
Fred Jeremy Seligson, Director (IFLAC) Children's Peace Train
Ada Aharoni, IFLAC Founding President
Rachel Unger, IFLAC Intern 2014
Co-Editor: Maria Cristina Azcona, IFLAC Director Latin America
E-book:
Designed and created by Solveig Hansen
Cover
illustration:
Isabella Wallace (9), Australia, for “Peace on Earth,” page 55
Drawings:
Created by the participants or selected from the Children’s
Peace Train Collection
Copyright:
The copyright to the poems and drawings remain with the creators
Web sites:
IFLAC: iflac.wordpress.com – Facebook: facebook.com/IFLACofficial
Children’s Peace Train: facebook.com/groups/childrenspeacetrain
IFLAC Children's Peace Train: iflacpeacetrain.wordpress.com
IFLAC Kids: facebook.com/IFLACKIDSPeaceintheworld
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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The Organizers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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A Talk with Peace Poet Ada Aharoni . . . . . . . . . . . .
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Poems:
Argentina . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Australia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
India . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
Israel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
Kenya . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
Myanmar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
Romania . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
South Korea . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
United Kingdom . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126
United States . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
Venezuela . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135
The History of the Children’s Peace Train . . . . . . . . 140
Recommended PDF viewing settings in Adobe Reader
To view the poems and drawings
neatly side by side, like a book, in
Adobe Reader, you should use a twopage view and display the cover page
alone.
Click on the View menu > choose
Page Display > Two-Up > Show
Cover Page During Two-Up (your
menu screen might look slightly different).
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The participants downloaded this certificate and signed it to become a
certified Child for Peace. The drawing on the certificate was made by a 7 year
old Children’s Peace Train participant in 2002.
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What a wonderful day, to see before me a book of poetry written by
children! Children are the future of our world. If Peace is to come to
the single soul, to a whole country, to the entire planet, our lovely
home the Green Earth, it will come through children. As I look
through the poems in this collection, what a fine beginning!
Children from South America, North America, Europe, Africa and
Asia, including the Middle East, and Australia, representing every
continent on the globe, all join here in reciting in one voice their
love of Peace, their love of one another, their families and communities. They tell us how much they wish to make and preserve a
safe and comfortable, happy and fulfilling living space through
verbal and physical, soulful expressions of Peace, Love and Joy.
Come with them now. Open the pages and enjoy each poem, each
line, each word and each syllable of beauty and wisdom, in the
original languages and in their translations into English, that these
children have to offer to each other and for adults; yes, adults, who
can learn better ways of how to resolve disagreements than by
fighting.
To paraphrase the wisdom of an African child, which faithfully
represents this collection of children’s poetry: “Peace lay in the purity
of my heart”
We would like to thank from the bottom of the ocean and the top of
the sky all the young people who have participated in this Festival,
including those whose poems are not included here. We appreciate
every one of your words. Every child who has sent in a poem is now
a Conductor of the IFLAC Children’s Peace Train. Also, we would like
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to thank from one end of the earth to the other all the older friends
who helped collect poems in their home countries. How refreshing
has been our mutual effort for the purposes of personal, local and
world Peace!
Fred Jeremy Seligson (Korea)
Co-Director
With Ada Aharoni (Israel),
Solveig Hansen (Norway),
And Rachel Unger (USA)
IFLAC (The International Forum for the Literature and Culture of
Peace) was established in 1999 by Israeli poet and writer Ada
Aharoni. The goal of this NGO is to build “bridges of understanding
and peace through culture, literature and communication.” IFLAC
Directors and Peace Ambassadors are appointed in some 20
countries.
The children’s section, IFLAC Kids, has its own Facebook page.
Children’s Peace Train is a project created by Fred Jeremy Seligson
in South Korea in 2002. Children are invited to create drawings on
the theme Peace in my own life. Since its establishment, the Peace
Train has expanded its railroads to more than a dozen countries all
over the world. After drawing their picture, the children can download a certificate making them a Conductor of the Peace Train.
The IFLAC Children’s Peace Train Poetry Festival 2014 is modeled
after Jeremy’s Peace Train, with an extra Peace Poetry carriage.
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Peace
Train
“Huff
Huff
Puff
Puff”
Circles
‘round
Our
World
Peace
Train
“Jing
Jing
Toot
Toot!”
Carries
Boys and
Girls
(Fred Jeremy Seligson)
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Ada Aharoni was born in Egypt in 1933. She has been writing for
more than 70 years and published over 25 books, including peace
poetry. How did she start?
Did you write poems as a child, or when did you begin? What
was the very first poem you wrote?
I started writing poems (in English), as I was in an English School, at
the age of seven, when I was in the second grade. I felt the need to
talk to myself in my “writing language,” my mother tongue was
French, and we talked French at home. My father saw my first poem,
which was about the exciting birth of my little brother, David, and he
loved it. He said I had earned myself an ice cream, which made me
happy. However, at the ice cream shop, he was so proud of me that
he told people I had written a lovely poem and he wanted me to
read it to them, which made me very embarrassed and timid. I
always hid my poems after that. Parents: please don’t do that to your
children!
Do you have any advice for young people who want to write
their own poems? How do they get started?
Whenever you feel you want to talk deeply to yourself, write what
you think and feel, in a special notebook, so that you can always go
back to it, improve it, and turn it into a lovely lyrical poem. Poems
you wrote and you love, will stay with you all your life and enrich it.
In your opinion, when can you call yourself a poet? You have
been writing for almost eight decades. Do you remember the
exact point in time when you thought, I’m a poet?
I thought of myself as a “poet” when I received this title from the
“Poets and Writers Organization in Israel,” at the age of 25. I had to
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present them then with two published books, that had to receive the
full approbation from 17 judges!
You often talk about creating bridges. How can children’s
poetry and artwork help create bridges between peoples and
cultures?
Poetry and artwork are deep mirrors of your life, your values, your
beliefs, and if you share them with other children from other countries and cultures, and read and appreciate their own poems and
artwork, then a strong Bridge of Understanding is created between
you. This is the most important ingredient for preventing misunderstandings, conflicts and wars between people and nations – as
the Creation of Cultural Bridges leads to the respect and knowledge,
and even love of “the other.”
www.iflac.com/ada
...and in 2014
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Children are Stars of Peace
By Ada Aharoni, IFLAC Founding President
Dear children, you were born with loving hearts
And in them star seeds of peace.
You are the future, you are life
You do not want to die in wars
Like some of your fathers and mothers
Smart children, you will send your star beams of peace
Through your smart phones and computers
All over the battling Middle East
And all over our global village
Your rapid lasers will bring us
What we failed to bring you –
A world where not one gun is fired
To kill fathers, mothers and children –
A world where each child is a star of peace
Well fed and smiling at life!
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Peace is Like a Raindrop
By Rachel Unger, IFLAC Intern in 2014
Peace is like a falling raindrop
Waiting for a child
To catch it on her thirsty tongue
And taste the mysterious sky
Peace is like a lonely puddle
Waiting for a child
To jump and splash with all his might
Before the sun comes out to dry
Says the young girl from Palestine,
“They are not human enough to think that it’s wrong
to take a father from his children.”*
While the Israeli boy from Haifa says,
“They attack us because their parents teach
them we are animals.”
We don’t go out to play in the storm
The rumors whisper, be careful! be afraid!
So we hide behind our tinted windows
And watch the peace drops fall away
*The quote from the Palestinian girl is based on a real quote from the
documentary Sometimes I’m Scared, Sometimes I Hit.
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Argentina
The Latin America branch of IFLAC organized contests to find poems for
the IFLAC Children's Peace Train Poetry Festival. From an impressive
number of approx. 750 submitted poems from Argentina and Venezuela,
a selection was made for this anthology.
Coordinators:
Maria Cristina Azcona, Director IFLAC Latin America
Susana Roberts, Vice Director IFLAC Latin America
Jury:
Maria Cristina Azcona, Susana Roberts and IFLAC Member Teresa Palazzo
Translation:
Maria Cristina Azcona, Susana Roberts
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Camila Olmos: ¿Qué es la Paz? / What is Peace? . . . . . . . . . 14
Melody Duarte: El Mundo Que Queremos / The World
We Want . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Julian Ruiz Huidobro: La Paz / Peace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Malena Victoria Arcila: La Paz / Peace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Rocío Navetta: Sembrar la Paz / Plant the Peace . . . . . . . . . . 22
Alejandro Bustamante: La Paz / Peace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Esther Tolaba: La Paz en el Corazón / Peace in the Heart . . 26
Celeste: La Paz es Libertad / Peace is Freedom . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Milagros Brambilla and Juan Tacin: ¡Bendita Sea la Paz! /
Blessed is the Peace! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Camila Russo: En Este Día / On This Day . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Valentina Suarez: La Paz / Peace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
MEF de la Escuela 34: La Paz En Mi Propia Vida / Peace
In My Own Life . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Lourdes Roble: Paz En Mi Propia Vida / Peace In My
Own Life . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Mauricio Alcaraz: La Paz / Peace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Yanela Abigail Torres Godoy: La Paz / Peace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Jazmín Barolo: Palomas / Doves . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Evangelina Rissolo: Fuente de Paz / Source of Peace . . . . . . 48
IFLAC Latin America: iflacenarg.wordpress.com
Paziflac: facebook.com/paziflac
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San Isidro – Buenos Aires
Sent by: Mirtha Gaitán, IFLAC Peace Ambassador in San Isidro
¿Qué es la Paz?
Por Camila Olmos, 11 años
La paz es alegría, tolerancia y comprensión
Es un regalo de la vida, cuidémosla con el corazón
La paz es felicidad y respeto hacia los demás
Todos juntos creamos un mundo con igualdad
La paz son palomas volando al atardecer
Las risas de los niños en las tardes de sol
La paz es esperanza de los pueblos la unión
Y que todos podamos vivir en comunión
What is Peace?
By Camila Olmos, age 11
School: No. 20 Hipólito Irigoyen, Villa Adelina – San Isidro – Buenos
Aires
Peace is joy, tolerance and understanding
It’s a gift of life, let’s take care of it with our heart
Peace is happiness and respect for others
Together we can create a world of equality
Peace doves are flying at dusk
The laughter of children in the afternoon sun
Peace is the hope of the people’s union
In which we can all live in communion
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Children’s Peace Train Collection
Joy!
15
El Mundo Que Queremos
Por Melody Duarte, 11 años
Queremos un mundo
más solidario
donde haya esperanza
y una buena convivencia.
Queremos un mundo
en el que haya Paz
y una Paloma blanca
que la lleve a todos lados.
Queremos un mundo
donde la amistad
y la tolerancia
crezcan cada vez más.
Un mundo en el que haya
una luz que nos guíe
a esa convivencia,
sin discriminación y violencia.
Queremos un mundo
en el que todos busquemos
el diálogo y el amor,
la comprensión y el respeto.
Queremos un mundo
con justicia y derechos,
para todos por igual
sin importar la clase social.
Queremos un mundo
en el que todos vivamos
felices en armonía
conviviendo en Paz.
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The World We Want
By Melody Duarte, age 11
School: No. 20 Hipólito Irigoyen, Villa Adelina – San Isidro – Buenos Aires
We want a
more supportive world
where there is hope
and conviviality.
We want a world
in peace and a white dove
to take her everywhere.
We want a world
where friendship
and tolerance
always increase.
A world in which there
is a light to guide us
to coexistence
without discrimination and violence.
We want a world
in which all seek
dialogue and love,
understanding and respect.
We want a world
with justice and rights
for all in equality
no matter their social class.
We want a world
in which we all live
happy in harmony
living together in peace.
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La Paz
Por Julian Ruiz Huidobro, 11 años
La paz no aparece por acto de magia,
tenemos que conseguirla juntos.
Si no tienes amigos hazte unos
porque si no,la paz, no estará en tu mundo.
Para conseguir, la paz, hay que estar tranquilo
olvidando los problemas que habíamos tenido.
Sonriendo, estando tranquilo,
la paz siempre estará contigo.
P.A.Z significa estas cosas
P de perseverancia, que siempre hay que tener.
A de amar, a todas esas personas que te odian.
Z está en la palabra fuerza, lo que hay que tener,
para luchar por ella.
Es la esencia del alma.
La que saca lo mejor de nosotros.
Miremos el cielo, respiremos;
nos sentiremos, palomas libres en pleno vuelo
Carguémonos de paz, solo así, seremos un solo cielo.
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Peace
By Julian Ruiz Huidobro, age 11
School: No. 20 Hipólito Irigoyen, Villa Adelina – San Isidro – Buenos
Aires
Peace does not appear by magic,
we have to get together.
If you have no friends, try to make some
because if not, peace will not be in your world.
To achieve the peace we should
ignore the problems we’ve had.
Smiling, being quiet, is the secret
and Peace will always be with you.
P.A.Z means these things
P perseverance, you should always have.
A to love all those people who hate you.
Z is the last letter which must be taken too
to fight for PEACE.
It is the essence of the soul.
Inside the best in us.
Look at the sky, breathe;
We feel, free doves in flight
Carry on peace, only then, we will be free like the sky.
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La Paz
Por Malena Victoria Arcila, 10 años
Para construir la paz es necesario
comprensión y tolerancia.
Respetar a los demás y ser respetado.
Escuchar los otros y ser escuchado.
Tratar de ser cada día mejor
con las personas que amas;
porque si hay amor, hay paz.
¡Cooperemos con la paz!
Con el respeto y la comprensión
que son caminos que nos llevaran
a lograr una convivencia mejor
Deseamos el amor y la alegría alcanzar.
Juntos convivir en armonía y felicidad.
En nuestros corazones deseamos la paz.
El amor que se tienen las personas;
nos permite vivir en unión y amistad.
¡Necesitamos la paz y el amor!
Para hacer de este mundo,
un mundo mucho mejor!
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Peace
By Malena Victoria Arcila, age 10
School: No. 29, Villa Adelina – San Isidro – Buenos Aires
To build peace
we need understanding and tolerance.
Respect others and be respected.
Listen to others and be heard.
Try to be better every day
with people you love;
because if there is love, there is peace.
Let us cooperate with peace!
With respect and understanding
which are paths that take us
to better living.
We will achieve love and joy.
Let us live together in harmony and happiness.
In our hearts we want peace.
The love that people have
allows us to live in unity and friendship.
We need peace and love!
To make this world
a much better world!
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Sembrar la Paz
Por Rocío Navetta, 11 años
Miro aún lado y miro al otro
En los lugares cercanos…
Y también conozco otros
Que se encuentran alejados.
¿Y saben una cosa?
Me siento preocupado,
No conocen la paz,
Y no se sienten hermanos.
Hay una sola forma
De sentirse hermanados
Y es vivir en armonía
Y sentirse enamorados.
Quiero hacer una propuesta.
No me dejen sola en esta;
No sembremos el odio
Aprendamos con valor
A defender el amor
Y a sembrar paz y justicia
En nuestro corazón.
Entonces venceremos tanto dolor.
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Plant the Peace
By Rocío Navetta, age 11
School: No. 29, Villa Adelina – San Isidro – Buenos Aires
I look to one side and look at the other
In the nearby locations…
And I know others
That are remote.
And you know what?
I am worried
We do not know peace,
And do not feel I have brothers.
There is only one way
Of being twinned
And it is to live in harmony
And feeling love.
I want to make a proposal.
Do not leave me alone in this;
Let us not sow hatred
Let us learn to value each other
To defend love
And to bring peace and justice
In our hearts.
Then we can overcome so much pain.
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Moreno West Zone Buenos Aires
Sent by: Elías Galati, IFLAC Peace Ambassador in West Side Buenos Aires
La Paz
Por Alejandro Bustamante, 11 años
Para que haya paz en el mundo
debe haber paz en las naciones
Para que haya paz en las naciones
debe hacer paz en las ciudades
Para que haya paz en las ciudades
debe haber paz en los barrios
Para que haya paz en los barrios
debe haber paz en las casas
Para que haya paz en las casas
debe haber paz en los corazones
La paz es dulzura, tiene amor
tranquilidad y muchas cosas más.
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Peace
By Alejandro Bustamante, age 11
School: No. 6, Moreno, Buenos Aires
For there to be peace in the world
There must be peace in the nations
For there to be peace in the nations
There must be peace in the cities
For there to be peace in the cities
There must be peace in the neighborhoods
For there to be peace in the neighborhoods
There must be peace at homes
For there to be peace at homes
There must be peace in the hearts
Peace is sweet, love is
Tranquility and more.
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La Paz en el Corazón
Por Esther Tolaba, 11 años
La Paz en el corazón
La paz tiene que estar
en nuestro corazón
por que siempre tiene razón
en parar todas las peleas
La paz tiene que estar
en nuestro corazón
quisiera que pueda haber
paz en cada lugar y en cada rincón
Que recorra cada parte del mundo.
Peace in the Heart
By Esther Tolaba, age 11
School: No. 6, Moreno, Buenos Aires
Peace has to be
in our hearts
that is always right.
Stop all fights now
Peace has to be
in our hearts!
I wish we could have
peace in every place and in every corner
of each part of the world.
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27
La Paz es Libertad
Por Celeste, 11 años
La paz es libertad
amor, que nace
desde el fondo de
nuestro corazón
La paz es sinceridad
respeto, amistad
que siempre estará
La paz es un llanto
un grito que se
vuelve en calma
Viva la paz para
todos aquellos que
quieren tranquilidad y libertad.
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Peace is Freedom
By Celeste, age 11
School: No. 6, Moreno, Buenos Aires
Peace is freedom
love is born
from the bottom of
our hearts
Peace is sincerity
respect, friendship
that will always be
Peace is a cry –
a cry that
calm returns
Long live peace!
for all who want
peace and freedom.
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Corrientes Province
Sent by: Inés Emilia Arribas, IFLAC Peace Ambassador in Monte Caseros,
and Amalia Ciuccio, IFLAC Peace Ambassador in Corrientes Province
¡Bendita Sea la Paz!
Por Milagros Brambilla y Juan Tacin, 11 años y 9 años aprox.
¿Por qué hay guerra?
¿Por qué la hay?
Porqué no sólo llevamos
las cosas en paz
y así podemos estar
todo el mundo sin pelear.
La paz es maravillosa
sin guerra, sin peligro de muerte;
si la vida es tan hermosa
la paz debería estar más fuerte.
Oremos para que este milagro
se cumpla en todo el mundo.
Si estamos bien unidos,
¡seguro tomará ese rumbo!
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Blessed is the Peace!
By Milagros Brambilla and Juan Tacin, age approx. 11 and 9
School: No. 90 Yacumbu, Yacumbu – Monte Caseros – Corrientes
Why is there war?
Why is there?
Why not just carry
things in peace
and so we can be
worldwide without fighting.
Peace is wonderful
without war, danger of death;
if life is so beautiful
peace should be stronger than war.
Pray for this miracle to be done
and met with worldwide.
While we are all together,
for sure it will take that course!
31
Pehuajó City – Buenos Aires
Sent by: Marita Ragozza Mandrini, IFLAC Peace Ambassador in
Pehuajó – Buenos Aires
En Este Día
Por Camila Russo, 11 años
En este día nos queremos manifestar
a favor de la paz.
Hay muchas personas
para recordar,
que lucharon por la humanidad
y siempre han deseado
que reine la paz.
La guerra no es buena
no es bueno luchar
y los derechos humanos
hay que respetar.
Personas como:
Mandela, Gandhi y muchos más
han buscado las formas de la paz
a estos héroes no podemos olvidar.
Las gracias
porque en este mundo tan grande
no dejaron que el miedo
se acobardase.
Viva la Paz,
la paz os doy,
Pero ¿soy capaz de cumplirlo hoy?
Queremos la paz
una vez más
riendo y cantando
¡Qué bonita es la paz!!!
Algunos no la saben respetar
¡Ay, qué bonita es la Paz
todos los días al despertar!
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On This Day
By Camila Russo, age 11
School: No. 13, Pehuajó – Buenos Aires
On this day we want to manifest
in favor of peace.
There are many people
to remember,
who fought for humanity
and have always wanted
that peace reign.
War is not good,
nor is it good to fight,
and human rights
must be respected.
People like: Mandela, Gandhi and many more
have sought ways of peace.
These heroes we can not forget.
Thanks to them, because in this world
they did not let us be defeated by fear!
Long live Peace,
the peace I give you,
but am I able to complete it today?
We want peace
once again
laughing and singing,
How beautiful Peace is!!
Some people do not know how to respect it.
Oh, how nice Peace is,
every day to wake up and see it shine!
33
La Paz
Por Valentina Suarez, 10 años
La paz es libertad,
armonía y felicidad,
en los deseos más bellos
siempre está la paz.
El amor, los sentimientos
y la paz es felicidad
por la eternidad voy
voy siendo feliz
dejando la violencia
que llegue a su fin.
Peace
By Valentina Suarez, age 10
School: No. 13, Pehuajó – Buenos Aires
Peace is freedom,
harmony and happiness,
the nicest wishes
is always peace.
Love, feelings,
peace and happiness
are eternally my choices!
I am feeling happy,
feeling that violence
is coming to an end.
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Children’s Peace Train Collection
Happy!
35
La Paz En Mi Propia Vida
Por MEF de la Escuela 34, 10 años aprox.
Cantar, reí, jugar
tomados de la mano
pidamos por la paz.
La Paz con el vecino
la paz en el trabajo
la paz en la escuela.
Luchemos por la paz.
Que no existan las guerras
que no peleen más
que todos nos amemos
para vivir en paz.
Que todas las familias
se quieran cada vez más
y luchen codo a codo.
¡Bendita la paz!
36
Peace In My Own Life
By M.E.F., age approx. 10
School: No. 34, Pehuajó – Buenos Aires
Sing, laugh, play
holding hands
ask for peace.
Peace with neighbors
Peace at work
Peace in school.
Fight for peace.
I wish wars don’t exist anymore
not to fight anymore
asking of everybody love
to live in peace.
And for families
to love each other
every time more
and and live happily side by side.
Be Blessed, Peace!
37
Monteros – Tucumán
Sent by: María De Los Ángeles Albornoz, IFLAC Peace Ambassador
in Tucumán
Paz En Mi Propia Vida
Por Lourdes Roble, 12 años
Si todos estamos unidos,
unidos de verdad,
nunca nos arrepentiremos
de haber luchado por la paz.
Caminemos todos juntos
con una finalidad
mantenernos unidos
para preservar la paz.
38
Peace In My Own Life
By Lourdes Roble, age 12
School: B. Secondary Eva Perón – ex-Francisca Laguna, Monteros –
Tucumán
If we are all united,
truly united,
we will never regret
having fought for peace.
Let’s walk together
with a purpose
stick together
to preserve peace.
Ailén Tamara Amado,
Maribel Roble,
Lourdes Roble,
Camila Pereyra
39
San Luis Province
Sent by: Teresita Valcheff, IFLAC Peace Ambassador in San Luis
La Paz
Por Mauricio Alcaraz, 11 años
La paz no es pelear.
La paz te lleva al
Amor. La paz es dejarse
Llevar por un buen camino.
La paz no es la guerra
No es pelearse a cada
Rato. La paz es levantarse
Por la mañana y disfrutar cada
Rincón de tu casa. La paz es
Amor y debe estar en nuestros
Corazones.
La paz no es quitarse las
Cosas por jobi es pedir permiso
Y gracias. Algunos no la valoran
No tienen respeto, pero gracias
A Mandela, Gandhi y Madre Teresa
Muchos ya la valoran. ¡¡¡¡ Viva la paz!!!!
40
Peace
By Mauricio Alcaraz, age 11
School: No. 388 Sargent Eduardo Romero, Villa Mercedes – San Luis
Peace is not to fight.
Peace leads to Love.
Peace allows
To carry on a good road.
Peace is better than war
Not to fight!
Peace is to get up
In the morning and
Enjoy every corner of your house.
Peace is Love and
It is in our Hearts.
Peace is not a petty thing,
It is not a hobby.
Peace is to request permission
And say thank you.
Some do not give any value to it,
They have no respect for others.
But thanks
To Mandela, Gandhi and Mother Teresa
Many people appreciate PEACE.
Long live peace!!
41
42
Yanela Torres Godoy
Mauricio Alcaraz
43
La Paz
Por Yanela Abigail Torres Godoy, 11 años
La paz sirve para que haya
Amor armonía
Y que no haya violencia y que
Los lleven algunos juntos
Y valorar lo que tienen.
Por que si no hay paz
No podrá ser feliz nunca
La paz, sirve para ser feliz
Somos todos amigos no hay.
Que nunca hay que pelear
Ahí que ser bueno con los compañeros
Hay que sonreír siempre
Hay que ser alegres y divertidos.
La paz es que tratemos
Bien a todos y que haya
Paz y amor a todos
Y que ¡¡ viva la paz!!!
44
Peace
By Yanela Abigail Torres Godoy, age 11
School: No. 388 Sargent Eduardo Romero, Villa Mercedes – San Luis
Peace is for
Love and harmony
May it exist!
No more violence
People have to
Appreciate what they have.
Because if there is no peace
You can never be happy
Peace is for being happy
We’re all friends there.
You never have to fight again
All have to be good with peers
We will always smile
And be happy and have fun.
Peace is that we try to be nice to all
And there will then be
Peace and love in all to all
And, long live peace!!
45
46
Ceres – Santa Fe
Sent by: Ime Biassoni, IFLAC Peace Ambassador in Ceres City – Santa Fe
Palomas
Por Jazmín Barolo, 4 años
La paz es un abrazo muy fuerte
es una sonrisa abierta
es Papá Noel con regalos
y palomas que vuelan alto
mariposas en mi casa
letras dibujadas
y un río en el que nadan patos.
Doves
By Jazmín Barolo, age 4, Ceres – Santa Fe
Peace is a very big hug
it is an open smile
it is Santa Claus with gifts
and doves flying high
butterflies in my house
letters drawn
and a river where ducks swim.
47
Fuente de Paz
Por Evangelina Rissolo, 6 años
Fuego encendido
fuente de vida
los duendes
de mi país
quieren ser magia
para la paz.
Sentido árbol
con lluvia de hojas
te pido paz
para esta Tierra
mucha paz
sin miserias.
48
Source of Peace
By Evangelina Rissolo, age 6, Ceres – Santa Fe
Light the fire
source of life
elves of
my country
make magic and
bring peace.
Feel the tree
and the rain on its leaves
ask for peace
for this Earth
much peace
without misery.
49
Molly Wallace
50
Australia
Molly Wallace: Friends . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
Lara Fernie: What is Peace? . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Anishka Perera: Hope . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Isabella Wallace: Peace on Earth . . . . . . . . 55
Aaron Wallace: War and the Chickens . . . 57
Friends
By Molly Wallace, age 5
One day, two people met on a savannah.
They both said they could win a race.
They went the same speed,
They didn’t want to.
And they didn’t know it,
But they both won.
They were then friends.
51
What is Peace?
By Lara Fernie, age 15
What is peace? Is it that absence of conflict or the presence of
tranquillity?
Is it the pureness of a child’s smile on their birthday?
Or the calmness after doomsday?
Is it the proud feeling after seeing a baby bird take their first flight?
Or is it the silence after a fight?
Is it the warmth of the sun?
Or is it the cool of the moon?
I think peace is all of the above
For without hate, how could we appreciate love?
Peace after war is just as important as peace after resolution
And believing in that is a revolution
Because once we realise that peace is there, and cannot be created
That’s when we’ll feel the peace, reinstated.
52
Hope
By Anishka Perera, age 15
My uniform
Wears a crimson disguise
Stained with the blood of the enemy
My blade glints in the rays of the sun
My heart pummels my chest
With every unwanted beat
I step away slowly
Trying to erase this sin from my mind
But it is forever tattooed
On my conscience
This feeling of regret
Will never leave my side
A saffron robe
Softly glides towards me
Across the fields of carnage
His eyes of charcoal
Promise me
That the worst is finally over
With outstretched hands
He beckons to me
Showing me that kindness still exists
And I utter a whisper
To all my lost brothers
And an apology to all my friends
“Hatred ceases not by hatred
But by love”
53
Isabella Wallace
54
Peace on Earth
By Isabella Wallace, age 9
Why is peace forgotten sometimes?
I wonder at night as I lie in bed.
I feel so very grateful that I am safe.
I feel sad as I think of those children
Who have lost someone they loved through war.
Why is there war?
I don’t know.
I know that peace is kindness, love and joy.
Peace is compromise.
I know that war is people fighting,
Sometimes for their own country,
Sometimes to defend another country.
When there is war, peace is trapped in a jar.
It only gets let out once fighting has stopped.
When peace is let out,
War then becomes trapped in the jar.
I think the world needs peace.
And peace makes the world go round.
55
Aaron Wallace
56
War and the Chickens
By Aaron Wallace, age 9
Why does the TV news make me laugh?
With chickens dancing on the screen.
Then I turn as I hear grandma’s radio.
News about war far away.
Children dying in the Middle East, in Israel and Syria.
I think how can that be true?
Why don’t people get along very well?
Why do children have to be hurt?
That’s a hard one.
Isn’t it?
It seems things are going way too far,
Families having to evacuate homes with children on their backs.
I turn my head back, the chickens are still dancing on the TV screen.
They are doing the Can-can.
57
India
Anjali Sinha: A World Where . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Neha Ray: Peace In My Own Life . . . . . . . 61
58
A World Where
By Anjali Sinha, age 15
Where the vision feels no fear,
The breathe is no more nervous,
The hands are no more bound,
And stretch high to touch the sky.
Where the heart is free to love,
Where the mind is free to imagine,
Where the feet are no more bound,
And can walk on the right path.
Where the ears need not strain anymore
To hear a caring word from a friend,
Where the lips are no more quiet,
And are free to express the thoughts of the soul.
Where people feel no fear,
To lend a helping hand,
To a neighbour in distress.
Where every laughter comes from heart
And every tear, of happiness.
Where trust prevails in every heart
And every reason of gratitude be justified.
Where feelings know no boundaries,
Where billions of hearts beat together,
In the dawn of peace and joy,
Oh lord, let this world awake.
59
Neha Ray
60
Peace In My Own Life
By Neha Ray, age 15
Oh! There you see the world of dreams,
The beauty of nature and the running stream.
And see the crystal clear water
That makes me flatter!
In the garden, I sit,
With the small picnic kit
By the whispering stream
In my world of dreams.
What is it annoying me by??
It is the dragon fly!!
Pouncing from rose to rose
Suddenly disappears and appears on my nose!!
It flies away in its own melody.
This made me notice the squirrels in their harmony
Prancing from tree to tree
I wish, my life, to be so free.
At last, I saw the man.
Running to his work
What else, after all, he can???
Just wait for some time!
Notice the beauty of the nature’s rhyme
Go beyond the devotion of creed and routine
You’ll see the world, so warm and keen!
The simple happenings of nature,
We should often capture!
In your hectic life,
Before you dive,
Just think about the mesmerizing surprises of nature
And the birds’ sweet rapture.
It is just the nature’s treasure,
That gives you intense pleasure.
61
Israel
Zev Davis: Back to School Blues . . . . . . . . 63
Yael Peleg: My Peace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Tomer Ben-Ivgi: Peace in My Own Life . . . 67
Solomon Naor: Sderot Near Gaza . . . . . . . 68
Dan Cohen: Peace Dream . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Monira Basiuni: A Mixed School of
Jews and Arabs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
Ohad Levy: Quarrel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
Mohammed Salem: It is Possible to
Live in Peace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
David Shalom: To Egypt and to Syria . . . . 79
Hadar Topaz: What is Peace? . . . . . . . . . . . 81
Children’s Peace Train Collection
62
Back to School Blues
By Zev Davis, age 70
Never thought that I’d say this
yes, staying home is boring, please
chess and checkers, oh the ease
the adults smile, ah the bliss,
“curfew”, bless you, so you sneeze,
it’s bullets passing, hear them hiss.
Never thought that I’d say this,
yes, staying home is boring, please
Playground’s become a memory, fizzed
long gone, no more birds sing, ceased,
look outside, as my eyes feast,
for the time being, four walls insist . . .
Never thought that I’d say this
yes, staying home is boring, please.
63
64
Yael Peleg
My Peace
By Yael Peleg, age 9
Peace is important
Peace is good
Peace can make us all happy
Peace can be so close
I want peace to come to us
I want this peace to come
Big peace, small peace,
Good peace, Strong peace,
Peace is amazing
Peace is good
World peace is perfect!!!
65
66
Tomer Ben-Ivgi (8)
67
Sderot Near Gaza
By Solomon Naor, age 9
In Sderot in Israel
I wish our Palestinian neighbors
Every night and sometimes in the day,
Will make peace with us soon
We have to run to the shelter
And we can sleep in our beds
Because shrieking bombs
And play in the garden
Are thrown at us from Gaza.
Without fear
And in peace.
It is very sad and my baby sister cries
But I am a big boy and I do not cry
Children’s Peace Train Collection
Shoot Flowers for Peace
68
Five poems from Haifa.
These poems were collected and
selected by IFLAC’s Hebrew Secretary
Atalya Rosenberg and translated into
English by Ada Aharoni.
There were 250 poems from this region!
69
(Dan Cohen, Haifa, 12)
70
Peace Dream
By Dan Cohen, age 12
Tonight I dreamt a dream of peace
It was so beautiful
And full of joyful colors!
I yearn for such a dream
However I do not know
Where to find it
I think that God is not too helpful
So we have to find someone else
Perhaps the Pope?
Perhaps the school teacher?
Perhaps I should wait in the row
And see how peace will grow
Tall like golden wheat?
I think the best thing is
that each should try by himself
To make the wheat grow tall and golden –
Real Peace – not in a dream!
71
(Monira Basiuni, Haifa, 13)
72
A Mixed School of Jews and Arabs
By Monira Basiuni, age 13
I am in a mixed school
And my best friends are Jewish.
Once I heard my father say that he did not like it
But my mother said that it should be this way
Because we live in Haifa.
I invited Nirit to my home after school,
My grandmother set the table for us
And Nirit ate everything
She said the kobeba was very tasty
And that her mother was never at home at noon
Because she was very busy at work.
So where is your grandmother I asked?
She did not answer
And her eyes filled with tears.
73
(Ohad Levy, Haifa, 12)
74
Quarrel
By Ohad Levy, age 12
Yesterday I quarreled with my small brother
Because of what he took from me
He makes me so mad
So I screamed at him.
Ma came and said I have to be nice
And my father said “remember you are bigger!”
I have enough of him being smaller than me
So what if he is small and I am big?
It doesn’t mean I have to give up
It doesn’t mean he’s allowed everything!
When it really hurts me inside
I pretend and leave
So they don’t see I’m crying
Because again they will say
But you are bigger than him.
I lay on my bed in my room
And ma came and patted me
She said I was sweet
And that she was proud of me,
Suddenly the hurt disappeared
And everything ended.
I want to hug my mum
And my brother Yaki
And tell them
What I love most is
Peace and calm.
75
(Mohammed Salem, Haifa, 13)
76
It is Possible to Live in Peace
By Mohammed Salem, age 13
The Jews all the time speak about peace
I do not believe them
They always think they are the smartest.
Sometimes the teacher speaks to me as if I was a small child
And she tries to be so nice
She thinks I do not understand…
When I will be big I will have a splendid house
In the nicest quarter of Haifa
I will be a lawyer and I will speak Arabic
For this is the language of my people.
I will travel all over the world
And when I come back
I will show to every one
Especially to the Jews
That we can indeed reach peace
If we really want it.
77
(David Shalom, Haifa, 14)
78
To Egypt and to Syria
By David Shalom, age 14
I want to travel to Egypt and to Syria,
My friend’s name is Brouria
And she does not want to travel
As she says there is war there
I saw war only in films on television
There they show dead and wounded people
And it made me so sad!
When I will be eighteen
I will have a black hat
An I will be a tank commander like
My hero brother Danny.
But I do not want to kill anybody.
I hope the war will be over soon
And we will have peace
And I will travel with Brouria
To Egypt and to Syria.
79
IFLAC Kids meeting in Haifa
There are three IFLAC Kids Directors: Hadar Topaz (front, left) and Yotam and
Noam Gurevich (back, right).
Visit IFLAC Kids
on Facebook and LIKE!
Hadar's poem is in five languages: English,
French, Spanish, Arabic and Hebrew.
80
What is Peace?
By Hadar Topaz, age 13, Director IFLAC Kids
For me peace is
No beatings,
No swearing,
Everyone friends,
And no one opponent.
Hello to my country Israel,
I wish you:
No soldiers killed in wars,
Peace with all our neighbors in the Middle East,
Then we will not need any army at all!
“And turn your spears into ploughshares.”
Qu’est-ce que la Paix?
Pour moi la paix est
Pas de coups,
Pas d’insulte,
Tout le monde amis,
Et pas un seul adversaire.
Bonjour à mon pays d’Israël,
Je vous souhaite:
Pas de soldats tués dans les guerres,
La paix avec tous nos voisins du Moyen-Orient,
Ensuite, nous n’aurons pas besoin d’ armée du tout!
“Et transformer vos lances en socs de charrue”.
81
Qué es la Paz?
Para mí la paz es
No hay golpes,
No insultar,
Todo el mundo, amigos
Y nadie oponente.
Hola a mi país Israel,
Le deseo:
No hay soldados muertos en las guerras,
La paz con todos nuestros vecinos en el Oriente Medio,
Entonces no necesitaremos ningún ejército en absoluto!
“Y a su vez sus lanzas en arados”.
82
83
Peace is meeting new people
from different places.
These Children's Peace Train drawings are made by Korean
children between 5 and 7 years old.
We are not against colors.
84
85
Kenya
These poems from Kenya were collected by IFLAC
Peace Ambassador Muthoni Likimani. She also translated the Kiswahli poems into English.
Joyce Wangari: Our Love Our Peace . . . . . . . . . . . . .
87
Henry Ole Kulet: Cry for Joy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
87
Caroline Ndiritu: For Hope We Live . . . . . . . . . . . . .
88
Ian Gichuki: My Peace My Food . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
Maria Makabao: Why Peace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
89
Perpetual Eddah: If Only . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
Alice K’anjejo: Peace! A Word Well Renowned . . . . 91
Mbula Natalie: Two Hands, One Heart . . . . . . . . . . . 92
Lisa Mwangi: A Plea For Peace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
Clare Wahome: Restore My Kenya!!! . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
Joy Hukka Bad’aaft: World Peace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
Pauline Mirikau: Let There Be Peace . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
Akpovo Bamidele: In the Name of Peace . . . . . . . . . 97
Michelle Musomba: In Pursuit of Peace . . . . . . . . . .
98
Stephanie Muthoni Kariuki: A Cry For Peace . . . . . . 100
Tiffany Nyoike: Peace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
Sabina Khabur: It Comes From Within . . . . . . . . . . . 102
Anne Kambo: Need For Peace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
86
Our Love Our Peace
By Joyce Wangari
In twos and threes,
Of peace we sing,
The birds on trees,
Of peace we cling,
Like in bees,
Of course, we bring.
We walk with calm,
For peace we have,
We walk with some,
For peace we love,
We boast of calm,
For peace we drive.
Cry for Joy
By Henry Ole Kulet
Gentle breeze that blows
You who beats our brows
Dry the tears of those who mourn
Stiffle the cry of those who moan
Cry may endure the night long
Delayed is the peace they long
But for sure joy comes in the morn
Cry of joy resonates with the dawn.
87
For Hope We Live
By Caroline Ndiritu
Why does the sun rise each day?
MY GIFT
Why do we get up every morning?
WhyBy
is Cynthia
there breath
Katumbiin our work?
Why are we gathered here,
dream
fame,
FromAfar
andtonear?
A
thing
to
claim,
Hope
To makewe
us hope
same,
For peace,
Never to shame,
Oh! My gift of peace.
Not because the path to peace
Stretches
nice,towide
With time
try, and green
Every
night
a
Beneath our feetcry,
As I go high,
Not because
the skies
And just ask why,
Are calm above our heads
Oh! My gift of peace.
Not because the winds of change
Blow nice and easy on our governments
But for Hope
For peace, we hope
MY PEACE
Not because mangoes of peace
Trevor juicy
Tuja and ripe
HangByheavy,
For our children to run and pick
Of peace we bloom,
But because
our talks
Of peace no boom,
The fraternity
For in everybetween
room. our nations
Is seed
in theasground
It comes
zoom.
And there will be a harvest
Asmore
we all unrest
pray,
Of no
For peace, we hope
Not because yesterday was full
Not because today is fresh
But because tomorrow is fertile
Tomorrow is different
Tomorrow is new
And look
Tomorrow comes...
Hope
For peace, we hope
Hope for the
Reduction
Abolition
Prevention
Of conflict
Of small arms
dry
But look, leaders and speakers are
gathering
And order peace agenda order papers will
flow
House business, will be peace business
MP
Will stand for
Member of Peace
How honourable!
Hope
For peace, we hope
The path to peace is paved
With a dedication to direct dialogue
We must continue to swing wide open,
The doors of discussion
We must continue to join hands
Across our lands
Across our lakes
For peace sake
Do we search for peace
As we search for oil
For precious stones
For shares and stocks
The asset value of peace
Will never drop
It stays at the top
Hope is a sparkle in our eye
Hope is a twinkle in our smile
Hope is a glow on our brow
For peace, we hope
So when you go from here
Make peace your destination
Whatever the nation
Peace is an option!
For peace every day,
No words to say,
Not because
the taps of peace never run
Without peace we don’t stay.
88
Why does a baby crawl?
Why does a widow hum?
Why does a pastoralist
Take his herds and flocks out each day
And the fisherman cast out his net?
Why does a builder place,
Brick on brick on brick?
Why do we put our heads together?
Hope
For peace, we hope
Children’s Peace Train Collection
My Peace My Food
Why Peace
By Ian Gichuki
By Maria Makabao
Like a smile in the woods,
A journey for goods,
All to bring foods,
In a hut without moods,
My peace my food,
To keep I should.
A river that flows
A heart that shows,
It comes and grows,
Of peace that glows.
With peace I die,
With wings I fly,
Up in the sky,
With God to rely,
My peace my food,
To keep I should.
In it we dwell.
For you I tell,
Peace in a shell,
Knows not to sell.
89
Poems from
Riara Group Of Schools
If Only
By Perpetual Eddah, F3
The memories still fresh
Vivid pictures clawing at my mind
The scent of danger in the air
Rippling of electricity through the sky
The pounding of feet near our town
Bitter wails
Swords clashing
Whips thrashing
Blood flowing
Disaster becomes an overwhelming factor
Tears caress my cheeks
As my heart shatters in pieces
Pain and grief envelope me
As the destruction becomes evident
A nation so strong
Promising in all ways
Now a pile of ashes
With a cloud of doom above it
If only we had joined hands
Had we not taken sides
Had we fostered peace
Had we tried to be united
Then maybe we could have covered milestones.
Maybe we could have reached the sky.
90
Peace! A Word Well Renowned
By Alice K’anjejo, F1
I bring forth my empty hand,
beckoning for a world so brand,
lives paused,
victims out of breath,
knives, guns, pistols, blood oozing,
Generating a generation of loathfulness
Shameful hands throbbing non innocent threats,
Peace! A word well renowned, yet some ignore.
Boom! Booms! Blasting! Blazing! Brutality! Bribes!
Kill and fight for he belongs to a different tribe?
Different tribes everywhere losing lives;
or maybe it’s cause l’m black and he’s white?
Shame! Deteriorating our society!
Peace! A word well renowned, but a number ignore.
Elected leaders bring forth conflicts instead of solutions,
Mother crying for their innocent children,
Tears washed away by the vast sea of life.
Ding-dong ditch becomes ding-dong war!
A man may fight for just but a penny at his door!
Uncouth behaviors hovering around us.
Surely this antagonizing fever,
Of not being your brother’s keeper!
Peace! A word well renowned, yet others ignore.
Then I imagine a world full of might,
No more wars, no more fights.
Peace in all corners, greatness flowing.
The smell of freedom aerating and blowing;
But how could this be, if we don’t do this together?
Do you want a world of people dying more than ever?
Or do we stand and fight! For peace around the world!
I shall not, cannot, WILL NOT join this tag of war!
Innocent victims killed with no sympathy,
Alas! I shall not! Let us build the society, develop our economy...for
Peace! Is a word well renowned, and should NEVER be ignored.
91
Two Hands, One Heart
By Mbula Natalie, F3
Show me a weapon and l’ll show you forlorn
I tire to constantly hear on the news.
That it’s a deplorable state of affairs
Deplorable? No, maybe a self-willed state of affairs
But l prefer to say, ‘Once you rattle the snake of war, you must get
ready to be bitten by the serpent of anguish’.
Someone once said, ’What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger’.
But is that what you would tell to a victim
Of war and political unrest?
That it was a slip of the tongue,
Made by a political leader,
a weapon killer, the mouth is.
Which led to the slip of a sword.
Leading to the sleeping of his beloved.
Yes, we may be different, but these differences
Create a sequence of unbreakable competence
To make something worthless, priceless.
Two fingers one aim,
A symbol of something so profound
In order to make a change
It begins Here and Now.
92
A Plea For Peace
By Lisa Mwangi, F3
Boom! The bomb explodes
And then the sound of the gong
Another few hundred lost
Their bodies lay as cold as snow frost.
She looks around her
The heaps of rubble
Her home destroyed
Her family, all dead
Four gunshots to the head
Mother, father, where are you?
The images imprinted in her mind
She wishes she could find
A way to forget them
A way to escape this nightmare so real
Or is this surreal?
Their screams rent the air
Her head bowed in prayer
Praying to her God above
If only He would have
Some mercy upon her
Upon her country...Her homeland.
A war-torn nation they say it is
The orphaned children...among them she is
No education...where are the days
When they learnt under the trees?
Oh, would you hear my earnest cry
My plea for peace.
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Restore My Kenya!!!
By Clare Wahome, F3
Paint me a picture l want to see
Educate the people or let me be.
Accept my apology and let me say
Consider a world without a ray
Encroached in bitterness without peace.
People pondering wondering in pain
Expecting you to care
And you, just hear no evil see no evil
Committed to the statutes top real
Encroached in bitterness without peace.
Pedestrian’s motorists now smiling
Extinct will be the cases of defiling
Away with religious intolerance
Competing with good governance
Encroached in bitterness without peace.
Proud I am of the Kenya l wanted
Experiencing peace, blessings counted
Across the borders, we’ll make it last
Come together so no more to any blast
Encroached in bitterness we shall be without peace.
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World Peace
By Joy Hukka Bad’aaft, F3
Won’t be getting any sleep until l feel my
Fingers sting. When everything I’ve ever felt
Is on the floor and left to bleed
Until I’ve washed off all this skin
And I’m spiraling forward into the end
My tortured soul will find no words
Nothing to define a reason to exist
Violence, tribalism, poverty is in the very air we breathe
It wraps us in its cocoon and traps us
Suffocating, fighting for peace we are
The babble leaves me in a daze
Behind my eyes lie nothing but flames
The only light allowing some hope
It erodes me into dust like crashing waves
World peace is what we crave
but to do this...our own souls we must save
from leaders claiming to give us the perfect
Prescription, no more fighting, no more tears
no more holding back our fears
like a phoenix from the ashes, we will rise
and so goodbye to the demise
of all insecurities
Let us drain our souls of all its impurities
and breathe in intoxicating euphoria
with peace for all humanity
and just one single need
to satisfy the appetite
to rend
to tear
to fee
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Let There Be Peace
By Pauline Mirikau, F3
Beautiful bright dawn
Sunny dandy and happy
Bamboo bending in the wind
Birds fly away
In the bright blue sky
Yes, there is peace.
The children in school
Learning and playing
Ahmed and Jane in office
Working while chatting
Hand in hand
Improving the economy
Every Kamau, Kuria and Kioko
Up and about
Talking interacting and sharing
Buying and selling, laughing and hugging
Surely, there is peace.
Then came the blood red sky
A dark and gloomy dawn
Ahmed and Jane in office
No longer chatting while working
Goodbye talking, interacting and sharing
Now despair sorrow and weeping
Alas where is our peace
We miss the good old days
Ah yes those nostalgic memories
The streets ablaze with love and life
When song and dance filled the air
Enjoyed by all
Regardless of tribe and religion
Different, we are not
Divide, we should never be
And bring back our peace we must
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In the Name of Peace
By Akpovo Bamidele, F4
What is the victory in war?
Tell this soul what it is
When your waters and fields are tarnished
And defiled
By phantoms of blood and gone.
Of what consequence is it?
When the trophies we reap
Are of broken bones
And countless headstones
Of orphans’ tears
Newly formed fears.
What beauty is held
When dust and ashes
Blot out the skies
And block the stars from our eyes.
No...
There is no meaning in war
So why do we shun peace?
And the prosperity it could bring
We should fight for a new dawn
And let go of this demon of war.
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In Pursuit of Peace
By Michelle Musomba, F4
I walked across, this distant land
Know the pathway,
Like the back of my hand.
The lonely roads, the tempest sea
And yet here,
Peace l couldn’t see
I lived and breathed
The essence of a traveller
Searching for release
In the simplest form, that is peace
So l walked into a church hoping to find my peace
In the folds of Mary’s veil
And scores
Of blessed virgin Mary, unto thee we hail
But l didn’t find it there
That wasn’t my peace
I sought for peace
In a field of heather
Where the weather was pleasant
And all was fine
Yet l still didn’t see the peace
Which mattered most to me
I travelled the world
And the seven seas
Only to realize the peace l desired
Was hidden within me
It lay in the purity of my heart
And the energy of this soul
All along l had a storm
Brewing within me
And with its calming
Came the peace
I’d always wanted
Now, then and for all eternity
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Children’s Peace Train Collection
99
A Cry For Peace
By Stephanie Muthoni Kariuki, 2P
A scream here, a scream there
No echo of peace!
A rope here, a machete there.
The screams of the deceased
Life now a dark hole
My mystery of peace, difficult to unfold
We cry for peace!
A dark glare, on the meadow once fair
The birds are not quiet, no sweet whistles in the air
A bloody mess, no love and care
The brave soldiers, once our heroes
Have now dropped down to zero
A land once full of bliss
Now a bottomless pit with no echo of peace.
I miss the days of old
When l would walk through the streets bold
Now the canopies are gaping down
The circus empty without clowns
The little children masked into monsters
Their little fingers hang up war posters
Please we beg, save our life from this dumpster.
There is hope at the end
A light at this dead end
With joined hands we defend
Our grabbed land, torn hearts
Our families in their death
We are one, no beast of war
Peace! yes peace within the deepest core.
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Peace
By Tiffany Nyoike, F3
Shall our swords speak
And threaten our cohesive nature
Lifeless shall the world be
Oh hear my limpid cry
Violence shan’t blanket the tranquility
That adorned us all
With clubs and spears
Shall we come at each other?
Like savages
Caring not of the crying children!
Whose eyes have been stained
By the dripping blood of each other
Our hearts pierced
With the arrow of hatred
Mindless of our actions
We care not the slightest
Who we hurt
Chocked to the core with disunity
Black or white
Is not just colour
Whichever God we believe in
Don’t we come from the same One
The language whichever l speak
Can’t we all speak the language of serenity?
The smiling children no longer happy
They walk with lifeless eyes
That carry traces of dried tears
The streets now empty
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Everyone caged behind their door’s locks.
Even with eyes tightly shut
My sweet dreams turn to sour nightmares.
When shall we stand
And turn a blind eye to our indifferences.
When l ask
Shall we learn to speak
The language of love
When shall peace prevail?
With love can we build the crumbling earth.
Love will be the voice of unity
We shall sing one song in harmony
For only through love
Can even the blackest of hearts
Be bleached white
May the light of peace shine upon the world.
It Comes From Within
By Sabina Khabur, F2
It comes from within
It can’t flow to someone else
If you don’t have it within
I tried to search for it within
But it unveiled to be fruitless
I felt shouts and screams inside
Restless with no place to hide
No one came to my side
They all said I lied
But it does come from within
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My neighbour doesn’t have it
He goes killing and beating
He doesn’t have it in him
It was destroyed
Like I said it comes from within
The child who died yesterday
Had it within but they were jealous
So they took it from him
Leaving him with death inside
He did not have it within
It was never with them
They tried to take it
But they kept throwing it away
They removed it from everyone’s souls
And left them dead within
It came knocking on my door
Told me it wanted a home
I gave it a home,
the home was within
The peace from within.
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Need For Peace
By Anne Kambo, F2
Neglect the peace
Leave nothing but a piece
Of the love once to tease
Just hate now never to seize
Can’t they see, see how much we need peace
War which has brought nothing but sorrow
Sorrow which we seem to borrow
All we need to do is make a stand
Forget and neglect to set
The goals of the souls that uphold
The fallen hero shamed to a zero
The highest bidder now a feeder
None of this seems to differ
With peace restored they will rise
This peace renewed will bring a prize
All we need to do is make a stand and give a hand
The blame is so insane
The fingers that point tend to linger
To put the fault to all who bolt
Why not take responsibility of sanity
Make peace and campaign to stop war
Shame those who try to support death
Aim to change their opinions on theft
Change just one and the rest think its best
To achieve this peace to bring growth
All we need to do is make a stand
And give a hand
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Myanmar
Peace in My World
By Moe Hay Mar Kaung, age 14
Whether it’s in expressions,
Like 和平, ‫مالس‬, and pace,
Peace can create connections,
Within the human race.
Birthplace of new concepts,
Forgiveness and respect,
Where people learn to accept,
All the significant aspects.
Cooperation in atmosphere,
Generosity as well,
No need for any fear,
Cast by a wonderful spell.
Hope, trust, happiness,
Calmness and clarity,
No more emptiness,
Just immense prosperity.
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Romania
Pace
(Teodora Sirbulescu, 13)
Nu e bucurie mare
Ca pacea dintre popoare.
Tot romanul o iubeste
Si de ea se veseleste.
Soarele pe cer,
Zambet cu mister,
Un copil visand
Pace pe pamant.
Pacea-i lucru sfant
In suflet si in gand,
Binecuvantare
De la Domnul mare.
Nu e cu mirare
Ca mereu e soare
Cand e bucurie,
Pace, armonie.
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Peace
By Teodora Sirbulescu, age 13
There is no such joy
As peace among nations
Romanians love it
And find joy in it.
Sun in the sky
A mysterious smile
A child dreaming
Peace on Earth.
Peace is a holy thing
In soul and thought
Blessing
From the great Lord.
No wonder
There is always sunshine
When there is joy,
Peace, harmony.
Translation: Tatomir Ion-Marius,
IFLAC Director for Hungary and Romania
107
South Korea
Kyle Ellison: Peace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
Kim Gwan Shik: My Peace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110
Kim Jo-han: The Place . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110
Kim Mun-hui: Peace in Life . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
Park Jae-oo: Peace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
Poems from Seoul American High School Special Education:
Asia Daniels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114
Brenda Guzman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116
Wade Semilota . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
Jeani Spillman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118
Sarah Wiemken . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120
Poems about the Sewol Ferry accident . . 122
Children’s Peace Train Collection
108
Peace
By Kyle Ellison, age 15
PEACE
P-eople who are happy
E-ither to love or relief
A-t your own pace
C-hoose as side friends or family
E-legantly with your life
PEACE
Peace can be relief
join the force of happiness
trusting hands of life
erasing all regret
PEACE
Smiling of all faces, laughs of voices, singing of nature.
We all endure, keep peace internally
and externally
to keep our souls pure.
109
My Peace
By Kim Gwan Shik, age 17
When I sleep I feel the Peace
I want to feel the Peace
When I eat I feel the Peace.
I am a Peaceful guy.
The Place
By Kim Jo-han, age 19
The place where children run happily
My inner space
The place where people don’t jeer
My inner stage
The place where mother breathes
My inner village
The place where I want to live
My inner peace
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Peace in Life
By Kim Mun-hui, age 17
Peace is smaller than your thought
You may think Peace is no war
But peace is not huge
Peace is just you eating noodles
Or sleeping happily
Peace is really simple
Feel peace in your life
Peace
By Park Jae-oo, age 15
Peace of country
Peace of earth
Peace of space
Peace of all the space world
111
Children’s Peace Train Collection
112
Poems from
Seoul American High School
Special Education, LIMS
Teacher: Tracey Van De Veire
113
Asia Daniels (19)
114
115
Brenda Guzman (18)
116
Wade Semilota (15)
117
Jeani Spillman (17)
118
119
Sarah Wiemken (16)
120
121
Poems about the
Sewol Ferry accident
On April 16, 2014, the ferry Sewol capsized and more than 200 people
drowned, most of them South Korean boys and girl students from the
same senior high school class bound from Incheon harbor for an educational excursion on Cheju Island. The boat was overloaded, and the
children were not allowed to flee for safety. Instead the captain and crew
fled, abandoning the children. On May 18, 2014, I asked high school and
middle school students, between the ages of 14 and 16 who I teach once
a month up at a Buddhist temple, named Hoeryong-Sa (Return Dragon
Temple) on a mountain side to write a poem about the ferry accident.
The following is a collection of some of their efforts, and they link
together as if one poem. Even though the poets’ names are not given, I
can share this book with them.
Fred Jeremy Seligson for the student poets:
Sea
Happy children took a trip
Who was looking over the children?
Those children were swallowed by the sea
Inside the sea, the children are suffering
Inside the sea, the children are sad
The sea swallowed the children
The sea is very cruel
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Flowers
Flowers are going to bloom in their glory soon
Flowers that were brightly shining
Flowers that everybody waits for
They disappear in the sea suddenly
Us
We can’t meet the children
Waiting for us
Nothing can help
Searching or waiting
Even so, we are waiting and waiting
We believe you will come back
And are waiting
When
When cold and heavy hands
Tied you up
When hands pulled you
And sank to the bottom
There are many broken bodies
In a peaceful place
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You
You have lived your own lives
After the ocean swallowed you up
We could see your bodies
Not adults
But children my own age
I feel so sorry
And full of pain
Sorry we are the same – students
Sorry we couldn’t help you
Children
Children who the sea took
Never come back
Children who the sea took
Never come back
Children who Korea’s institutions killed
Are never coming back
The boat that sailed for people’s greed
Can’t emerge
Even if the government officers act
Those children can never come back
We can’t see their smiling faces
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I’ll Do Anything for You
I’ll save you from the time of pain
I’ll save you from the place like Hell
Even if we save you,
You can’t come back ever
We’ll comfort your sad and lonely hearts
We’ll remember you forever
125
United Kingdom
Carla Melaco: A Family’s Escape . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126
Katie Morris: Peace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
Iona Mandal: What Peace Means to Me . . . . . . 129
A Family’s Escape
By Carla Melaco, age 14
Careful I hide
Scared of my mother
My dad and my sister
And sister and brother
Careful I hide
Scared of their words
Cruel and mean
Inside it hurts
Quiet I cry
Through day into night
Their hands slap me hard
As I cower in fright
Still I can find
My pure tranquil peace
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Away from the monsters
The brutes, the beasts
Because in my special place
Where I sit quiet alone
I find I’m content
My own peaceful throne
And such is the place
My family should be
No need for fighting
Or shouting at me
And this is why
I’ve made them a place
Each one with their own
Peaceful escape
Peace
By Katie Morris, age 10
Silent still and waiting
Sitting there whilst quaking,
Peace in my world
Can still be unfurled,
silent still and waiting.
127
Iona Mandal
128
What Peace Means to Me
By Iona Mandal, age 8
Peace to me is calmness
The grass making waves to the wind
In fields of yellow buttercups
Or daffodils swaying to the breeze.
Peace is content in my mind
Over a good book I read
In a lick from my dog
Or watching raindrops fall.
Peace to me is harmony
In the birdsong at dawn
In the chime of church bells
In the prayers at evensong.
Peace is no war
Countries seeking no revenge
Life without misery
No poverty, hunger or sadness.
Without peace there would be frowns
More unhappy faces
No happy memories
Life would cease to exist.
Have enough, no greed
Practice peace and make peace
Make sure others seek peace too.
129
United States
Mariam Semanda: Peace in My Life . . . . . . . . . . 130
Chloe Silbermann: Reading Gives Me Peace . . . 131
Lana Chang: Clouds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132
Owen Taylor Smith: Statue of Liberty . . . . . . . . 132
Jack Wells-Benson: *Peace* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
John Vernaglia: Achieving Harmony . . . . . . . . . 134
Peace in My Life
By Mariam Semanda, age 8
Waves passing
Birds chirping
Kids walking by
Babies laughing
Rainbows appearing
And soft music playing
And
That’s the
Peace in my
Life.
130
Reading Gives Me Peace
By Chloe Silbermann, age 6
I am Chloe and I love to read.
I love to read
happy, good and interesting
books.
Reading
calms me down.
Reading
is good for your brain.
Chloe Silbermann
131
Clouds
By Lana Chang, age 11
Clouds…
Are like a storybook,
But
You can write the stories.
A test
With no wrong answers.
Make them what you
Want them to be.
No rules,
No boss.
With them,
You can use your
Imagination.
Because
You are free
To make it
Yours.
Statue of Liberty
By Owen Taylor Smith, age 8
Liberty, liberty,
Statue of Liberty:
We hope your torch
is feeling fine.
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*Peace*
By Jack Wells-Benson, age 8
Peace is like lying on a really soft cloud
and eating a big piece of puffy cotton candy.
Peace is putting your feet
into hot summer sand.
Peace is fresh, juicy summer fruit
dripping down my chin.
Peace is flying a kite
under the hot yellow sun.
Peace is fireworks shooting up in the air on the 4th of July.
Peace is eating pineapple
In the summer time.
Peace is happiness
like a bird tweeting in a tree.
But Peace is also the whistle of the wind
And the crunch of snow in the winter time
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Achieving Harmony
By John Vernaglia, age 14
Oh holiest of holy, as I stand in your throne room surrounded by song
Engulfed in quiet while joyous notes surround me
My mind is at peace.
The words of your song have filled my ears and brightened my soul.
My very inner being is in harmony with the world around me.
Oh holiest of holy, as I sit in your temple surrounded by history
With a worn prayer book in my hands
I mumble the words of my grandparents
Remembering the people who have come before me
As I am connecting to my ancestry.
Oh holiest of holy, as I sing in your sanctuary surrounded by community
The voices of others sharing this moment with me
In collective joy
I know I am part of something larger and this song has brought me to you
I feel your presence, oh holiest of holy.
134
Venezuela
Poems from Isla Margarita,
collected by Maigualida Pérez Gonzales,
IFLAC Director in Venezuela.
Andrea León . . . . . . . . . . 135
Alexandra León . . . . . . . . 136
Sabrina León . . . . . . . . . . 137
Richbell Torres . . . . . . . . 138
Andrea León, age 10
Los niños de Venezuela queremos la paz porque la paz
significa igualdad e igualdad es felicidad y nuestro mundo
en el futuro estaría lleno de dicha y prosperidad.
The Children of Venezuela want peace because peace
means equality and equality is happiness and our world in
the future would be full of happiness and prosperity.
IFLAC Latin America: iflacenarg.wordpress.com
Paziflac: facebook.com/paziflac
135
Alexandra León, age 7
Paz es amar y cuidar a mis hermanos
Peace is love and care for my brothers
136
Sabrina León, age 7
La Paz es bella y es amor que comparto con mi familia. Quiero Paz para
Venezuela. Esa es la Paz sobre mi propia vida.
Peace is beautiful and is also the love that I share with my family. I want
peace to Venezuela. That is Peace in my own life.
137
Richbell Torres, age 10
La paz significa igualdad y amor, también felicidad, todos los niños de Venezuela
adoramos la paz y los adultos, pero yo amo mucho la paz y toda mi familia
también.
Peace means equality and love, also happiness, all children in Venezuela adore
peace and also adults, but I love so much peace and all my family too.
138
Hey! Please spread Peace.
139
The History of the Children’s Peace Train
By Timothy Spearman
Extract from his book “The History of the Peace Train” (2012)
How was The History of the Peace Train born? Like most ideas, it began
with a dream. The Children’s Peace Train movement was the dream of
Jeremy Seligson, an American professor living in South Korea. We all
dream, sometimes involuntarily during sleep, sometimes when daydreaming, and then there are our dreams – our aspirations and hopes.
We can equivocate between these two uses of the word ‘dream’ because
both express an alternative to our mundane existence, our conscious
waking reality, our now, our present. While the international peace train
initiative was spawned by the collected dreams of many individuals,
Professor Jeremy Seligson has done more to bring the next generation
into the effort. It is this key player who realized that children should be
the engineers of the Peace Train. Like many dreams, the tangible real-life
dream was preceded by a nocturnal dream. In this case, dreamer Jeremy
Seligson had an extraordinary dream one night in the wee hours of the
morning. It was a vivid dream, in which a tapestry of interconnecting rail
lines wove the fabric of different lands and cultures into an intricate
design of peace and good will. Like many other projects of The World
Dreams Peace Bridge, the Peace Train Project began with a dream. This is
the dream recorded by Jeremy Seligson in Korea on July 26, 2002:
I am traveling with a group of friends in the countryside in the
middle of nowhere. We have been in a village. I’ve wandered off
on my own, but a responsible young man fetches me and says,
‘A train has come…’
I am in line with the group for lunch at the cafeteria. While in
line Ada Aharoni (the founder of IFLAC – International Forum for
Literature and Culture of Peace) comes over to me and smiling,
140
says, ‘We are more successful than the other peace groups
because it is not so well organized...Our group always gets
together on time when it is time to move on.’
Our long black locomotive travels all the way across the country
to Washington, D.C., where outside the Capitol steps it is applauded by President Gore and many people dressed in suits. A
large white banner around the smokestack reads, Peace Train.
This makes me joyful. I leap high in the air and float partway
down a hill, landing on the feet. Others around me are surprised
I could do that…
Since that fateful night, Jeremy, Peace Train passengers, and crew, have
been holding Peace Train Workshops all over the world. One of the best
publicized and most successful was staged at the Association for the
Study of Dreams Conference held between June 27 and July 1 [2003] at
the Radisson Hotel in Berkeley, California. The dreams and peace train
Workshops were conducted by Jeremy Seligson, May Tung, and Jean
Campbell. The highlight was the display of Peace Trains from around the
world.
But the Peace Train Project, begun by The World Dreams Peace Bridge in
2002, soon picked up steam and within no time at all was speeding
around the world on its relentless mission to bring peace and goodwill to
the masses of people in need of hope in their war torn districts of the
world. The hope carried by the Peace Train to every city, village and
hamlet it passes through is perhaps expressed best in Jeremy’s own
words as in the May 12 e-mail written from the original Peace Train
dreamer to UNESCO in Seoul:
Dear Mrs. Yeon,
Could you please forward this explanation to your counter-part
in UNESCO North Korea. It would be wonderful if North Korean
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children could draw pictures of peace and make their own
North Korean Children’s Peace Train which could link up with
the South Korean Children’s Peace Train and make one Korean
Children’s Peace Train of it. What a good example they could
set for the adults on both sides.
In another of his brainchildren, Jeremy explained the purpose of the
international Peace Train movement:
The Peace Train is a dream on behalf of the people and other
creatures of this planet, and especially for the children and
future generations who will inherit the condition of life on Earth
from us. It is a dream of love and prosperity, of harmony and
joy, of self-confidence and personal security. It is a dream of a
co-operative family, local and world community, one that
creates an environment for respectful settlement of disputes.
And it began with an actual dream I had on July 26th, 2002...
Jeremy’s vision is brought into even sharper focus when he explains the
central role children play in the Peace Train movement:
The first trains began rolling in from children in South Korea. It
was here that the World Children’s Peace Train first began, with
art works collected by my students at the Hankuk University of
Foreign Studies in Seoul. They went out to playgrounds,
elementary and middle school classrooms, Sunday schools, art
schools, youth groups and other places to lead Peace Train
workshops, collect and construct trains together with the
children. The children made Peace Trains and at the same time
received Peace Training. They learned to express their own
desires and feelings for peace, as well as to work together with
others on a project for peace, a project which was part of a
greater design, involving children around the whole world...
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It is apt that the Peace Train begins in Seoul, Korea, because this
is perhaps the most dangerous place in the world to live, being
faced with the moment by moment threat of annihilation by the
missiles and artillery of the North Korean military, stationed just
some 230 kilometers away...
Children’s Peace Train Collection
The divided Koreas
143
IFLAC Children’s Peace Train
Poetry Festival 2014
www.iflacpeacetrain.wordpress.com
Children's Peace Train
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