Posted: July 13, 2023   •   Posted in: Discussions, Peace

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Messages of Hope

A group of us reflected on and discussed our Quaker Peace Testimony, and in particular the ‘dilemmas of the pacifist stand’. It was a challenging session, focusing on pain as well as courage. As we thought about wars and conflicts around the world we then decided to focus on hope. From this we each wrote ‘messages of hope’, which later Lynn wove into this beautiful and moving poem. She also told us about the creative process.

Messages of Hope

Sometimes the world descends into darkness,

but in the depths pinpoints of light coalesce,

the smallest glimmer can become a spark,

the lowest ebb is the turn of the tide –

love will find a way.

 

Compassion – the body and soul of awakening.

When gentle, peace becomes our instinct, the natural order,

a new heaven on a new earth will prevail.

Once pain is healed, only love is left,

love, peace, and tenderness.

 

Holding you in the Light,

we send prayers of love and hope,

hands of friendship across mountains, seas.

Your suffering and your desperation are not forgotten.

Peace will come.

 

Local initiatives beavering away, building peace,

must continue. World Peace is possible.

Even conflicts have spawned peace,

making stronger peace out of war.

All things must change.

 

We must defend our precious community,

its ability to accept different decisions, its strength.

Things we call good do NOT sit easily together,

we are obliged to make choices,

but all with the measure of light,

which is pure and holy, guided.

And so, in the light walking and abiding.

How the poem evolved – in Lynn’s words

‘I’ve tried to capture what I felt was being expressed in all those messages … The way people talked about light/Light was particularly beautiful and, for me, it became a powerful image of hope. The word “coalesce” was particularly important as it seemed to convey a sense of something coming together and growing, leading to the possibilities of “a new heaven on a new earth”. This then turned into something being offered to people in distress, (“prayers of love and hope, hands of friendship”) and a hopeful message telling us that peace initiatives are “beavering away” all over the world. The final part focussed on our community. I liked the way it conveyed a sense of strength arising from our “ability to accept different decisions”. It was in direct contrast to the way “different decisions” often lead to struggles.

I have only used the words/phrases that appear in the messages. I wanted to make something unified without submerging individual voices. Some messages are more intact than others, particularly in the final two verses. This is because not many people expressed those things, though they were important. I included the voice of ‘elders at Balby‘ (1656) at the end because their vision of living “in the light” dissolves aggression. The spirit of their “message” is as strong today as it was in the 17th century.’