Surviving the Peace

 Response to Prompt #71 Reflection

This morning I was reflecting on what occurred in the classroom yesterday, marveling at an experience that, frankly, took me by surprise. Then I picked up the Anthology of Native Nations Poetry that Annmarie gave me (When the Light of the World was Subdued, Our Songs Came Through) and read the poem "Shrinking Away" by Jim Northup. In his bio, it explains that Northrup is a Vietnam War vet, and many of his poems are about the conflicts and struggles he has had. At the end of this particular poem he says

That's when I realized that

surviving the peace was up to me

 and this is what I wrote in response to his words...

Don't we all

come to that

conclusion

over and over

again?

Even as

we hear this

advice, it is

incredibly 

hard to

apply.

 

The only way

to have peace

is to BE PEACE.

 

I mean

honestly,

when you grow

up with conflict

always around you

it is hard to 

truly embrace 

peace. 

You get used

to surviving

the conflict

that you

have no 

experience

in surviving

peace.

 

Yet,

I feel

so much

of my

life has

been 

focused on

peace.

The desire,

the need,

the want

of it.

 

So I was 

actually 

surprised

when I fell

into a 

peaceful 

state and 

stayed there.

The entire

day, class

after class.

I never 

wavered

from a

kind of 

soul peace 

that seemed

to inhabit 

me fully.

 

I was somehow

no longer

feeding into,

or reacting

in any way to

the conflict

and chaos

and confusion

that comes

with middle

schoolers.

 

As the day

wore on,

I continued

to witness

this, and it

never changed.

Nothing rattled

me. I just 

kept this 

peaceful posture 

up until

the very end.

 

So...

I reflect now...

Was this 

the real thing?

Will I walk

in Monday

and Be Peace

once again?

Did this 

experience

reflect a

truth of

who I

have

become

after

all 

this 

time?