among the business of Times Square
where billboards tried selling
everything from Coca-Cola to 77' stereos
was the stark black and white
Christmas greeting offering peace.

the power to end war
is inside of us
and until we stop seeing
the kids starving across
the border as separate
from ourselves --
violence will rage on.

war is not just a conflict
with others but a tension
within yourself --
love and forgive yourself
so you may become others
and war can end,
in and outside of you
if you want it.

be free in the present,

Trace