Peace

There is a point somewhere I know. It builds up as we course through the meanders, the falls and the dead ends. There. Right there. As I watch the crescent moon in all its glory at dusk. No clouds dare to encroach it as it graces the red purple sky.

Everywhere I look, there in the eyes of my parents, my siblings, my friends and that stranger on the bus, there it is; that inner fight to attain peace. Regrets, unanswered questions, anger, grief, loneliness, uncertainties; these emotions swirl deep within their irises. Just for a few moments, before they blink and you wonder if the turmoil was ever there.

Perhaps peace was made unattainable.

Maybe humans need something to fight for. But why not love, happiness or contentment. Perhaps it is because they are often as fleeting as the rainbow. They were made to fill in the holes while we struggle to gather the threads of life and attain that blanket of peace.

Whether it be weaknesses that hold us back, the ubiquitous inhumanity that prevails or the temptations of things deceivingly good; they serve to pull us way from the ultimate state of mind.

How many times do we utter for peace. I never thought about it; what it truly meant. After prayers, when greeting friends, when entering homes, when meeting others - we say Peace unto you.

And we await for the expected reply - Peace unto you too.

The utterance so commonplace, it is seen as a way to greet, a way to start a conversation or to acknowledge someone's presence.

But the core of it, is not a greeting.

When it is truly heartfelt, it is a wish, a prayer, a desperate request for peace. For ourselves and for others around us. For even in death, do we wish the dead to rest in peace.

Peace, the impossible dream. That when one is so fortunate to feel it for just a few moments, it reduces one to humbling gratitude.

Right there. There, as you look at the crescent moon perching on its throne. The trees hush as they wait with bated breath and the birds stop their noisy chatter as they too begin to fall under the spell. The earth hums a sweet lullaby settling the restless stars and the troubled soul finally cries out in relief.

Peace. Peace. Peace.

Then as night descends, the vultures begin to swoop. The birds scatter in fright and the quiet is broken. Gloomy clouds gather obscuring the moon and the earth howls in pain as blood seeps through the cracks and poisons the land. The flowers wilt and the animals whimper.

And once again darkness prevails.

Peace; just a momentary bliss before its true nature rips apart the naive heart. And the cycle to attain it resumes.