CPERG Peace, Art, and Poetry
CPERG Peace, Art and Poetry
By CPERG Team & Attendees
Wed, 22 Nov 2023, 10 AM - 12 PM UK Time, Faculty of Education & Online
CPERG Peace, art, and poetry
Thank you to those who attended! We had a wonderful and peaceful morning of sharing poetry and songs (including original pieces!), and fellowship.
Below you can find some of the poems and lyrics of songs that were shared by attendees, as well as pictures of the event:
How to grieve in the open air
I
A wildflower
flora is lost to the cold alone, stems whipping at the ground
fish swim in tiny crescents
preserve the balance of water
rows of trees distend
staggering shadows with sunlight like loss
stories have already told me
bound to mountains unable to command the seasons
it is winter because the dusk is charcoal
I approach the smell of your fire
we break in a whisper
II
Boughs
when I reach for you
my arm moves between segments of ivory light
dust floats to the ground in sheets
a wind softer than the old song
rustles as a breath askew
shallow trees lengthways at the surface
discard bark shrouds
III
Into the valley
plants don’t grow by the smell of water
honeysuckle spices in the hill’s recess
cascades to the river’s edge
birds blur to still on plate-glass ripples
tepid clouds upside-down
I squint to the peak
by Alison J Barton. This poem first appeared in 'Pratik: a magazine of contemporary writing', Fire and Rain edition, 2022.
AIRE (By: Encarnacion Hidalgo Tenorio)
Aire, aire, aire, aire
Tú eres sólo aire y nada más
Aire, aire, aire, aire
Ya no te veré nunca nunca más
Y yo no sé, qué hacer, a dónde, ir, sin ti, yo no sé nada
Sólo hay dolor, sólo, dolor, no hay calor, estás tan lejos
Aire, aire, aire, aire, aire
Ya siento que no puedo respirar
I let you go, I let, you go, you left, my home, I’ll never see you
And if you go, and if you go, and if you go, I’ll never hear you
Aire, aire, aire, aire, aire, aire
Qué triste es que-te dejara marchar
Y tú eres mi aire, estás en mí, te siento cerca, y es a través de ti que puedo ver
Yo sólo sé, que eres la voz, eres mi voz, te oigo dentro
Y sólo sé, que eres mi luz, eres la luz, dentro te veo
Aire, aire, aire, aire, aire
Ahora ya sí puedo respirar
Aire, aire, aire, aire, aire
Eres ese aire que la vida me da
You’re on my skin, you’re on my skin, you speak through me, I feel you inside me
Estás aquí, ya no hay dolor, todo es calor, la luz me inunda
Air, air, air, air, air, air
I’ll never never ever let you go
----reflections after Lemn Sissay 21.11.2023
Antiutopia. Slavery/Stability is not peace. Peace implies the ethical balance, freedom
So, what is the peace
That let there be ?
I question trees
That doesn't move
a single leaf
I ask the silver beams
That shine from stars
Throughout the frozen rain
The early morning ice
That locks the forest
With the lack of hope and invisible chains
So, what is the peace
That let there be ?
I ask the northern wind that
whispers, even cries
Emerging from the pole
And forms a giant crystal
In all dimensions
That endless cruise to whiteness.
The peaceful planet now reflects the death
And the only direction albatros can fly is
Down to earth, and never east or west
So, what is the peace
That let there be ?
The global warming fails
against the peaceful frozen state
When asked for a bit of heat
When there is no passion,
No fox will ever eat that little bird
No evolution happens
No balance of warmth and cold
Love and hate
Life and death
So, what is the peace
That let there be ?
read by Nikolai Kazantsev
ready by Marcela Wang
We fear no one
Koi thi ame dariye na
We fear no one
‘Ne koine pan daraaviye na
Nor shall we instill fear
Ame abhayni tek lidhi chhe
Our oath is one of fearlessness
Koi di poonth bataaviye na
Our backs shall never turn
Naa, naa, naa!
No, no, no!
Hinsa amne khapti nathi; ahinsak chhe aa senaa
Useless is violence; ours is a nonviolent army
Manma chhupaavyu ver nathi
In our minds, no vengeful shadows lurk
‘Ne dilma bharyu jher chhe na
In our hearts, no poison stirs
Badlo amaare vaalvo nathi
We seek not to settle ancient scores
‘Ne dushman eke mer chhe na
For enemies, we have none
Naa, naa, naa!
No, no, no!
Hinsa amne khapti nathi; ahinsak chhe aa senaa
Useless is violence; ours is a nonviolent army
Koina chagaavya chagta nathi
No puppet strings shall guide our will
Kashaathi ame chagshu na
Nor deceitful veils obscure our sight
Juna hisaabo chukavava nathi
Old debts, we wish not to repay
Juna gaana gaaie na
Nor sing of past sorrows
Naa, naa, naa!
No, no, no!
Hinsa amne khapti nathi; ahinsak chhe aa senaa
Useless is violence; ours is a nonviolent army
Satyani taakaat premni taakaat
Strength lies in truth, in love’s embrace
Shareerbalni vaat chhe na
Not in the might of the flesh
Aatma keri amogh taakaat
The soul’s power, profoundly immense
Dehni kai visaat chhe na
Eclipses bodily strength
Naa, naa, naa!
No, no, no, no!
Hinsa amne khapti nathi; ahinsak chhe aa senaa
Useless is violence; ours is a nonviolent army
-
Narayan Desai
sang by Abhishek Vyas