What’s the color of peace?

· by · in free verse, poetry, Real Toads. ·

It must be a color less like the soil
not ochre, sienna or brown
reminding of trenches or graves;
it cannot be red
as the rage of revenge,
the color of wounds.

It cannot be blue as depression of death.
nor green as the battlefield grass;
not grey as the ashes of seamen
tossed to the waves;
not black like a dress for a widow
not yellow of gangrene
or corpses left in the sun.

The color of peace has to be white
white as the carrier pigeons
      bringing back letters to home,
white as the paper of unwritten poems
white as the canvas for painters
white as daylight in spring;
white as the hope of armistice,
white as the mother of rainbows,
white as beginnings and ends,
white as the new fallen snow,
white is the color of peace.

The subject for Paul is to write about peace at toads. I decided to start with a question. With this poem I will begin my vacation. I will be back in a couple of weeks.
—
July 5, 2018

21 responses to “What’s the color of peace?”

  6. How wonderful – and rich this – truly – and happy holidays and break!

  7. kaykuala

    white as the new fallen snow,
    white is the color of peace.

    Exactly! It cannot be any other. White, being pure and unspoiled and unstained if nurtured well thereafter!

    Hank

  8. Process of elimation did well here for you, Bjorn. Also white as the field in the Red Cross Flag. Snow white is unblemished as it falls but it rapidly picks up impurities, often before hitting the ground. Perfect snow takes perfect whiteness as does perfect peace.
    ..
    .

  11. Oh, so nicely done, Bjorn! I particularly love the phrase ‘rage of revenge’, and the similes ‘white as the paper of unwritten poems’ and ‘… as the hope of armistice’.

  12. This is such an imaginative response to the prompt. I love the way you worked the contrasting list with the colours.

  13. I think you are right Bjorn. Fabulous way to look at it and a very beautiful thought. Loved this.

  17. I read your poem more than a few times and all I can utter is a HUGE sigh …………..

  18. Fantastic title, Björn. And the imagery and description of why peace cannot be the different colors, and then why it is white, was exquisite.

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