And in despair I bowed my head;
“There is no peace on earth,” I said;
“For hate is strong,
And mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!”

(Henry Wadsworth Longfellow)

Peace belongs to us.
Lack of peace we own.
When I individually
stand aligned with good,
with good will, with peace,
I live in a spirit of calm —
I have peace.
But when I squat in misery,
when I blame and pout and hate
while the tranquility around me
resides permanently
it’s lost to me. But when I pause,
when I dare to ask,
when I’m willing to find peace
the angels trumpet in the sky
the message of peace on earth.