nobody said how boring dishes 
sitting in their cupboard would be
it all felt right and ordered for a while
the bowls were full, warm
contentment rose like vapor
from the table
and on the streets
the nods, the glances
the fellow feeling
and commerce did thrive

what would it take 
for this to be forever?
can one write a poem
for a peace that lasts?
not one written
in the bosom of strife
but a poem for peace
after years of peace.
a poem whose desire 
remains undiminished,
a poem that longs 
for what it already has.

there is a book about peace 
in the Bible
that no one ever reads
things happen for sure
but there aren’t the stakes
no plague of boils 
or a pillar of salt
peace is promised
only as a tonic 
to our worldly suffering
and that promised salvation
lasts forever
there is no book in the Bible
that hints how we might
endure this salvation.

Check out other work in the Uncollected series here.