Ju-Woo Nho - Writing For Peace

Three Poems

With One Voice

late sunset, fading sky
a sharp gunshot shatters
the peaceful quiet of a dwindling day

lined up along a blocked road
blaring red and blue
the bloody sight and rusty smell
not war in a faraway country
but close, so close
to you and me, us

smothered deep within my heart
a trembling cry
“we must end all violence!”

a nearby voice
whispers
“we are tired of the cruelty, pain
caused by the hatred around us”

another murmurs
“in the rubbles of destruction,
we find the strength to change,
the courage to be kind”

hands tightly held
we are
stronger together

defying all odds
we shout to the skies
the choice we have made

from the small seed of hope
thousands, millions rise up
no longer victims, but the empowered

let the dove soar high above
let the world be filled with love
leaving nothing but
the sweet whisper, peace

World Peace: It Begins with You and Me

On a dirt road lays a single flower
A tiny pebble
A withered leaf
Of various colors and different shapes
Yet blown away by the same gust of wind

We are all connected to each other
Affected by what we do

We are different, not wrong
Each unique and special

We can raise awareness about the power in all of us
To recognize, accept, and love people as they are

Fear
Pain
Violence
And Destruction

Can Turn Into

Courage
Happiness
Hope
And Love

Let’s plant the seed of peace in our hearts
Share our dreams of a beautiful future
Beginning here
Spreading across the world
Ending all wars and conflicts

Peace is a choice
We can promote it wherever we go
Because it starts with me
Begins with you
And lives on through us

The Fire Within My Heart

Crack.
Penetrating the dead silence
The shrieks of terror echo throughout
Lamenting the loss of innocent lives

Yet in the midst of it all
A classmate takes a bullet for another
A teacher barricades a door
A student prays for her friend

Starting within
A single spark of courage

Finding a hand to hold
A small, flickering flame of hope

Strengthening a community
A steady fire of love

Spreading across the world
A blazing conflagration of peace

Overwhelmed with crime
Rampant with violence
Filled with destruction
We still hold strong
We remain unbreakable
We make peace with the world

Ju-Woo Nho is an 11th grader at Baton Rouge Magnet High School in Louisiana. Writing poetry is a way for her to express her emotions and sense of self. As a winner of a Scholastic Arts & Writing award and the $2000 National Korean-American Dream Writing Competition, she is an award-winning poet. She has also been published in print 4 times.