Angry Peace Prayer

On October 15th The Interfaith Contact Group of Brighton and Hove held a peace vigil. It proved to be a beautiful and sad moment of peace: all sorts of loving messages of peace, and even songs were shared, along with long silences and candle lighting. I read a prayer, entitled The Four Points Peace Prayer, but it was not my heartfelt choice. The one I wanted to read was the following, which is called Peace Prayer in Time of War, but it seemed to me to be far too angry to read in a peace vigil, where loving calm prevails. But this remains the better prayer… even if it is angry.

Join me in prayer…
In a country lane
Where bees visit sleepy lavender
The crooning blackbird is pitch perfect
And the leaves are twirling in the breeze

Join me in prayer
In a laboratory
Where the efficiency of a cluster bomb
Is statistically evaluated
The fruits of its achievements
Are found near our country lane
Where we meet the ghosts of travellers
Children, women and men
Innocent, each and every one

Join me in prayer
And let us say together
Stop…
Stop the machinery of war
Those that make arms
Those that use them
Those that give orders to deploy them
Stop them all

This is why we pray together… now

Join me in prayer
For a world where peace
Is utterly irresistible
Where killing machines are an abomination
Where you and I hear the sound of the wind
The birdsong, the buzzing of bees in the lavender
And we know in our hearts
That our prayers have finally been answered

Thank you