WELCOME
TO
OUR POETRY ARCHIVE
FOREFRONT
OF PEACE
“Missed perception of
symphony’s fine tunes;
Playing its
harmonious music, Can
Fill our world with
blind misconceptions.
Open eyes seeing
beyond what is learned.
Listen, variant
tones- create connections;
Orchestrating an
unseen light that burns;
Creation’s light of
abounding beauty.”
(Stacia Lynn
Reynolds)
It does not matter where a person dwells upon this Earth;
we all witness the effects of calamities and war: A soldier on the frontlines,
images that daily reel over media, first hand witness of bloodshed, terrorism,
global warming, climatic catastrophes, heartache, pain; uncertainty with no
gain. The wars between humanity began in the ancient times and has escalated in
intensity into today’s world. Martin Luther King Jr. spoke of peace among
mankind when he stated, “If we are to have peace on earth…Our loyalties must
transcend our race, our tribe, our class, and our nation; And this means we
must develop a world perspective.” Mankind needs to find a better position,
create a new paradigm, and come to the forefront in the advancement of peace
and prosperity; finding purpose within the world we live; looking beyond
ourselves and into the eyes of the hurting and hungry.
All throughout history, man has fought fellow man. The
position of ideals has had such strong roots, in every corner of the world,
that the blood of man taints the soil in which we take our steps. Every country
has faced its own civil wars and attacks, but in the perspective of the world,
we have witnessed World War I, World War II, and it seems, in the 21st century
in which we currently live, the world is marching into a third World War. The
position of hate has overtaken the perspective of peace and prosperity. The
sounds of harmony have gone flat, which causes many to cringe at its sour
tones. The tainted music of hate plays daily over a loud speaker, which is
heard all over the world. We must revert our ideals into a world perspective
and create a new paradigm of hope.
Humanity must find its purpose and create a new paradigm
before we destroy one another. We need to find a better model to follow. There
is no doubt that some people in the world are just plain evil; roaming the
earth, polluting it with each blackened step. Their only intent is to destroy
anything or anyone who is against their stained ideals. Wherever you may dwell,
we all face this type of evil, and the unknown fills humanity with fear. But
those of us who yearn for freedom of hate, to witness unity consume the hearts
of man, and want to take a stand against the war against humanity, need to come
to the forefront; planting our feet upon a greater intent.
We, the residents of this world, must come to the
forefront, positioning ourselves in the advancement of peace. I have found this
position of significant importance in my life; unifying writers, poets and
readers from each corner of the world. I desire to see the beautiful tapestry
of this world expand for all to see and appreciate. Every inhabitant upon
Earth, must innovate new methods, in its course, uniting and exposing freedom
of words in our modern age. A common philosophy of peace needs to be central to
the paradigm in which we continually create and model in our lives. We need to
continue advancing our march in the view of hope and prosperity for all
mankind. My greatest desire is for all to come to the forefront; the forefront
of today’s inspiring poets and writers around the world. We, as writers, and
humanity, must find its purpose; the reason for existence.
How do we, humanity, and each person individually, define
purpose? In our day to day steps, from dawn until dusk, do we strive only in
self-motivation, or a combination of self and others? What is are our personal
resolve or intention in life? Do we calculate our design and dreams beyond
personal goals and development? Does the bigger picture extend to the world, or
is it constrained to only the four walls in which we reside? In a world in
which times are difficult: economically, with constant threats of terror and
hate; climatic weather, drowning our land, the spreading of wild fires; famine
and pestilence, leave many with a fear of the unknown. A fear which draws one
personally into one’s own world, resulting in selfish gain and visions of
personal achievement. Life’s purpose has resolved itself into the instinct to
survive, varying in the result of positive or negative personal actions. All of
humanity must grasp a vision of oneness, moving beyond personal gain and into
the purpose of visualizing the bigger picture in the world in which we live.
Finding the purpose of peace and prosperity will allow many
avenues to converge into one common road. With a common purpose, visualizing,
mankind can move beyond prejudice and focus on the well-being of others. Coming
together with one common purpose is not an intended statement for everyone to
be the same but finding a common goal to heal and move beyond our fears to feed
the hungry, cloth the poor, step in and resolve unfairness. There are many
cultures, ethnic groups and beliefs that make up our world called Earth. Each
group and individual, as a human being, needs to be respected as a fellow human
being. Not every human being is bad, feeding into the fears of others. Not
every human being is selfish, robbing mankind. Not every human being is full of
evil and hate. There are those, who have been left in the rubble of constant
fear that do not know which avenue to pursue, due to fear of being robbed
monetarily or robbed of life. The love of many have run cold; some are mean
and/or ruthless, while others do not want to extend compassion, because
compassion has not been evident in their surroundings. So where does that leave
mankind, in a pursuit of purpose, to aid in the well-being of others?
Love overcomes evil, even when the fruit of love is not
received by the intended. Connecting the avenues which make up mankind, and
meeting on the road, with an intended purpose to pursue peace and unity,
mankind may find the light at the end of the dark tunnel in which we walk day
to day. If we chose to walk away from any avenue that promotes peace, we are
walking in a blackened cloud of dissent.
When a person falls deep into the emotional darkness of
hatred, bitterness, and coldness, it begins to consume their heart and soul.
The black hues that surround hate will grow into gruesome feelings that
well-up/build-up within the heart and mind. Hatred holds others in contempt for
a wrong that may or may not have been done; intentional or not. Hatred causes
others to hold grudges and have hard feelings. It is malice and hostile. When a
person is armed in a bitter conflict with another person or race, it only
results in a static relationship; meaning the strife will go nowhere. The
conflict will be stationary, with no change. That is where we get the term
"butting heads." If a person is pushing and striking against another
with hatred and rage in their heart, the relationship has no chance of peace;
the world becomes dark; swallowing itself in despair.
The pursuit of negative personal gain has tightened its
vice, squeezing the life out of many. People are continually driven by greed,
fueled by pride and self-glory. Narcissism, leaves compassion for others in the
coldest of winter rains, blowing its frozen intentions across the world. The
ideals of self, consume the world, setting ablaze hatred toward others.
Self-love, with no consideration for mankind has turned the world into a dark
place. The candle of hope can be relit when we visualize the bigger picture for
mankind; lighting the candle of peace.
Let us not sit in the background, but continue to lead,
with focused attention, with our influential words that inspire, encourage and
impel others; kindling the flame of hope, peace and prosperity for all mankind.
May our words provoke positive emotion, redirecting feelings of hate. May we
also continue to mold ourselves into the perspective of unity, contributing to
the paradigm of peace in which we model, and come stand on the forefronts, and
promote positive innovations in our purpose and position of greatness.
Dear readers, here we are again with this present number of
‘Our Poetry Archive: OCTOBER 2018 Volume Four Number Seven.' This is a general
issue and we are glad to introduce eleven new poets to our regular readers in
this number. We hope readers will also enjoy their talents along with others'
poems. This month our Poet of the Month is poet LILY SWARN of INDIA. Readers
will find her interview with our editorial panel much interesting. Our
heartfelt thank goes to the poetess for her acceptance to our invitation.
We would also like to request our readers and poets alike,
to introduce Our Poetry Archive to their friends and relatives who love the
music of poetry. Anyone who wants to
showcase his or her literary talents internationally is also most welcome to
OPA. Any talented poet can send at least 3 poems and one current profile picture
along with the explicit confirmation of their permission to publish his or her
copyrighted materials in OPA. Our mail address is ourpoetryarchive@gmail.com
Thank you.
AUTHOR STACIA LYNN
REYNOLD
From The
Editorial Desk
OPA
A
WORLDWIDE WRITERS’ WEB
PRESENTATION!
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