In Quest Of Peace Poem by Koffi B Sossou

Peace, who are you, where are you?
My grandpa fought in World War I and II
In search of Peace
The war was over
And never had he had peace of mind
And when he died, Peace was addressed to
Him on the tombstone, R.I.P.

My friend's dad fought in Vietnam War
And had defeated Viet Cong
He was happy to go home and live in Peace
And he found a divorce letter on his table
And another war began within him
He had to fight against the lingering trauma to be at Peace
And when he died, Peace was addressed to
Him on the tombstone, R.I.P.

My country has never known war
And they say it is a peaceful country
Instead, we the people, have never been at Peace
The loud noise of our empty bellies
The constant cry of starving orphans
Tax inflation
Never have they given us Peace

A homeless man asked me 'how can I have Peace without shelter? '
And the unemployed asked me 'how can I have Peace without a job? '
And the leaders maintain the lead with Peace conventions
Spending it all on weapons of mass destruction
And even in the military camps, Peace is nowhere to be found
We are awake daily to deter or attack
Who are you Peace? are you really the absence of war?