One month ago, Downtown Dayton turned into a NATO Village to accommodate the member nations participating in the NATO Parliamentary Assembly. The Downtown Dayton Partnership commissioned this mural, "On Peace Work," to be placed in Courthouse Square for the opening of the Assembly.
Back in February 2025, Sierra Leone was chosen as the first Poet Laureate for the City of Dayton. During her recognition ceremony, Mayor Jeffrey Mims said, “Today, we make history in Dayton as we proudly announce our city’s first-ever Poet Laureate. This moment is a testament to the power of words, storytelling, and the vibrant artistic spirit that runs through our community. Poetry has the unique ability to connect us, inspire us, and reflect the heart of our city. We look forward to the ways our Poet Laureate will amplify Dayton’s voices and celebrate our shared stories. Congratulations to Sierra Leone, and may your words continue to uplift and unite us all.” The newly appointed Poet Laureate served as compiler on the mural project.The mural highlights the epigraph of the titular poem containing seven stanzas from various Dayton voices. (A titular poem refers to a poem that either shares its title with a larger work (like a collection of poems) or has a title that reflects the main subject of the poem). Written by Alice Young-Basora, executive director of the International Peace Museum, the epigraph states, “Peace is a verb. First to be sought within, then to be actively shared with others.”
My grandson's birthday party was this past weekend. He's three years old and to see him playing with his little friends without a care in the world was so sweet. I want the world to be just like this backyard day as he grows up. Carefree happiness, love, peace is my wish for him.
ON PEACE WORK
Peace is a verb. First to be sought within, then to be actively shared with others.
We are tapestry of peace
clothed in cardinal directions -
We brave cloaked conflict, ceaselessly
unraveling shadows of silenced stories.
Our hearts syncopate
when possibility is our handiwork.
Our fingers see, our ears taste,
We drum a free jazz symphony.
Let us all find some peace - a steady state -
beyond the greedy grasp of fearful hate.
Let us work together to break vile bonds
Time will wait and fairness and truth respond.
How can we, with bruises blooming on our spirit
speak against injustice? Only with the promise that
when even our memories are mere myth, we will not be gone.
There are no casualties of peace.
We cast dandelion hopes and bumblebee dreaming,
Caught within the winds of the future’s verisimilitude.
Tomorrow we will harvest honey yellowed meanings
And cherish our wish-sprouts manifest, bedewed.
Dig deep into earth’s pockets for a future where more women lead
in every vowel and syllable; vow to plant our peace seeds -
less waste, less apathy, less greed
more gardens, more community, more trees.
Come when the year’s first blossoms blows
Come when the summer gleams and glows
Come with the winter’s drifting snows
And you are welcome, welcome.
In order of contribution, “On Peace Work” features: Young-Basora (Epigraph); Leone (Stanza 1); Furaha Henry-Jones, professor of English and African American Literature (Stanza 2); Matt Birdsall, poet and educational professional (Stanza 3); Aimee Noel, poet and educator (Stanza 4); Gentry Heflin, poet and Stivers School for the Arts student (Stanza 5); Amanda Hayden, poet laureate of Sinclair Community College (Stanza 6); and Dunbar as contributed by Martin, emeritus professor and poet laureate at the University of Dayton (Stanza 7).
Oh, that this could be so.
ReplyDeleteAlways hope.
DeletePeople around the world, just want a safe and secure life, peace is safe and secure.
ReplyDeleteLet there be peace on earth...
DeleteA wonderful mural and poem.
ReplyDeleteI love how so many people contributed to the poem.
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