MARY ANN VITALE

 

The Door To Peace

 

Dialogue is cheap

It doesn’t cost a thing

It leads to the path of peace.

 

War is costly

It comes with the loss of lives

It leads to a fury of destruction.

 

Open the doors through talk

Avoid the use of arms

Work toward a mutual accord.

 

Choose to live in harmony

Much is accomplished

When you open these doors.

 

Let the bells of peace ring

Before jumping into the chaos of darkness

Where there is no return.

 

Let love blossom

Out of the scorched land of Palestine

Like a desert flower.

 

Offer an olive branch

To the outstretched hand of your enemy

For we are brothers and sisters

In this beautiful, but chaotic world.

 

War

 

War is a monster

That disseminates

Violence

Revenge 

Torture

Destruction

Death.

It all starts with a bad seed

That was planted in the heart of a man long ago.

It spills its poison

On neighbors, homes, and lands.

Man’s reason is blinded

And is transformed into an infernal machine.

Suddenly

Poverty proliferates

The stench of death overpowers

Victims are abducted

Tremendous suffering abounds. 

The land that once was beautiful

Now a mass of rubbles

The life they all knew 

Now changed forever.

Battles are not fought with arms

Better solutions can be found 

Rather than covering the streets with bodies.

There are no winners in wars 

All are losers.

For everybody’s sake

Lay your arms down 

Embrace your brother.

 

A Child of War

 

Please, don’t shut your eyes 

When you see my tears. 

 

Please, don’t plug your ears  

When you hear my cry. 

 

Please, don’t close the door of your heart  

Become insensitive and pretend all is okay.

 

The fear, the hunger, the thirst  

I have suffered them all. 

 

The bombing, the destruction, the desolation 

I have seen them all. 

 

The wounded, the dying, the dead 

I have seen lying on the streets. 

 

Nobody seems to care  

I am left on my own. 

 

I feel hopeless, abandoned  

Caught in a never-ending situation. 

 

I am grown up

Yet, I am a little child. 

 

Will I survive this war

Or be part of the dust?

 

Will I be the child I used to be

Or be forever scarred?

 

Is anyone listening to my cry?

Has anyone seen my face dirty with tears?

 

There are more children like me  

I am not the only one. 

 

Please, don’t close the door of your heart 

Become insensitive and pretend all is okay. 

 

I have seen some dead in the streets  

But as for you, please  

Don’t be dead inside your heart!

 

America

 

A land so vast 

Has never been seen 

Immense plains

Of corn fields 

Where, as far as the eye can see  

Can be glimpsed 

Old red barns

The blue sky

With giant clouds 

Scenic routes 

Among the forests

Surrounded by flourishing green trees 

White farmhouses

In the distant horizon

Ponds rich of water

That reflect the blue sky  

And from above

Fifty stars fell 

Landing on the flag

That flies proudly in every home 

And symbolizes a country blessed by God 

A nation indivisible 

Where everybody enjoys the same rights  

Justice and liberty  

Without discrimination of race and religion 

A land where jobs abound 

And assures the wellbeing of every citizen.

It is a country that distinguishes itself from the rest of the world

A lighthouse of hope

That gives light to whoever comes from afar

And this blessing is called, “America.”

 

Woman’s Liberty

 

Through the centuries 

Man has lived with the conviction

To keep the woman under his submission.

Was this born out of fear  

Of losing his control

And to dominate her by his strength?

Woman don’t let man intimidate you!

Let no man block the light of your eyes 

Let no man hinder the air you breath 

Let no man shut your mouth from speaking    

Let no man impede your feet from walking 

Let no man prevent your hand from working   

Let no man prohibit your pen from writing 

Let no man restrain your heart from loving 

Let no man hold back your wings from flying

Let no man limit your dreams 

Let no man thwart your path

To be the person you are meant to be.

Woman, you were designed for a grandiose purpose

To flourish into a fruitful life. 

It is not a man’s world 

Mutual respect is needed 

Men and women are not enemies 

All are created equal

You are to live free!

The Price of Freedom

 

It’s better to suffer hunger

Than to lose the freedom.

 

It’s better to lose your job 

Than to be subjected to a physical imposition, without consent.

 

It’s better to fight with arms in your hands 

Than to die defenseless with knees bent to the ground.

 

It’s better to speak out loudly 

Than forever wear a muzzle on your mouth.

 

It’s better to run as a free man

Than to trip with shackles around your ankles. 

 

It’s better to worship God in liberty 

Than to be forced to accept a government religion.

 

It’s better to fight for your freedom 

Than to allow someone to temper with your rights.

 

Everything has a cost

But freedom has no price.

 

Freedom

 

Freedom is our God given right 

To live happily and reach new heights.

 

Freedom is the air we breathe 

The eagle’s wings to fly with. 

 

Out of the learned lessons from the past

And through the courage and the shed blood of many 

The need is born to end oppressive regimes

And to establish new systems with better values.

 

How great is the nation

That ensures its citizens

Freedom and justice for all!

 

Happy are the people that enjoy

The rights to liberty, property, security

And resistance to oppression!

 

Blessed are they who have the freedom: 

To worship God in their own religion

To speak without persecution

To write without interference

To bear arms for self-defense 

To assembly peaceably

The list is endless …

 

People who enjoy these rights thrive 

Others for the lack of them die.

 

The rights of freedom and justice

Can easily be stripped

By those in power 

Thus the people be destined to live

Bowed down to the ground.

 

Governments should design laws

That guarantees civil liberties

Work hand in hand with its citizens

So both live in harmony with one another.

 

Many countries are founded

Under the rule of oppression 

But a beacon of light shines on a nation

Called the “United States of America”

Where people live peacefully

And inspires others to follow her example. 

 

MARY ANN VITALE

 

MARY ANN VITALE is an award-winning author of children’s books and a poet. She was born in Sicily, Italy. As a young child, she moved to the United States and resides in Michigan. At the age of 49, she was inspired by her granddaughter to write her first story, Simon, the Red Fish. That was the beginning of her writing career. Through the years, she has published 20 children’s books in English and in Italian. Her award-winning books, The Water Lily Fairy; The Street Where the Dollar Tree Grew; Fingerprints on the Mirror; and Hidden Treasures in a Book Vol.1. Her latest historical book for adults, Lu jornu ca lu Mulinazzu chiancìu, in Sicilian language, is published under her maiden name Maria Anna Manzella. All her books can be found on amazon worldwide.