Skip to the content

  1324 GA Highway 49 South | Americus Georgia 31719

(229) 924-0391  |  info@koinoniafarm.org
Facebook Twitter Instagram Youtube Flickr
Visit Store
  • Home
  • About
    • Koinonia Today
    • History
      • Clarence Jordan
    • News
      • Publications
      • Media Page
      • Koinonia in Your Inbox
  • Visit
    • Ways to Visit
    • Come, Stay Awhile, and Serve
  • Internship
    • Internship – A Brief Description
  • Support
    • Prepare to Thrive
    • Service To Others
  • Blog
    • Brief Thoughts from Bren
    • Peacemakers
    • Other Writings
Menu
  • Home
  • About
    • Koinonia Today
    • History
      • Clarence Jordan
    • News
      • Publications
      • Media Page
      • Koinonia in Your Inbox
  • Visit
    • Ways to Visit
    • Come, Stay Awhile, and Serve
  • Internship
    • Internship – A Brief Description
  • Support
    • Prepare to Thrive
    • Service To Others
  • Blog
    • Brief Thoughts from Bren
    • Peacemakers
    • Other Writings
Donate
Store
Top ^

Summer Internships Available! Learn More

Training for Peace – “Pencil” by Teresa Mei Chuc

Steve Krout

Steve Krout

All Writings
  • July 10, 2020
  • 8:15 am
  • No Comments

by Steve Krout
July 10, 2020

Pencil
By Teresa Mei Chuc

“In spite of everything I shall rise again: I will take up my pencil, which I have forsaken in my great discouragement, and I will go on with my drawing.” -Vincent Van Gogh

A missile is shaped like a pencil—
its long, slender body and pointed
end creates history.

A girl walking down the street
a few steps ahead of her sister and friend,
two medics who were trying to help
injured people, the parked ambulance—
all were annihilated by the same weapon.

Above, drones—silent, unmanned planes.
A metal, predatory bird that shoots a missile
with precision, identifying the colors of a shirt,
the features on a face—the shape of a nose,
the color and length of a mustache.

In a room far away, in another country, a man
sits at a desk and looks at a screen; he strokes
his thick, dark mustache as he carefully
contemplates, then pushes a button.

There is a charred hole in the ground
where the girl once stood.

There are pencils that write and erase,
write and erase, so that there is nothing
to be read on the page. The page blank
as the desert sky, blank as the smooth shell of a drone.

There is a family drinking mint tea
in a living room.
The man holds a cup to his lips,
the glass touches his mustache.
A silent bird hovers above.
In a split second, everyone is dead,
the house is in rubbles—arms, legs,
splattered organs among broken concrete.
Soon, there will be no trace. 


In the second century, St. Clement of Alexandria wrote, “As simple and quiet sisters, peace and love require no arms. For it is not in war, but in peace, that we are trained.” 

It isn’t enough for us to say that we abhor war, we must train in peace daily if we wish to see an end to what Bobby Kennedy called “the mindless menace of violence.” The world is ripe with enemies to focus our attention on and, in a society now dominated by social media, one can feel good about themselves for tweeting truth to power. However, if we stop there, we take the easy way out and little change occurs over time. 

Thomas Merton, in New Seeds of Contemplation, wrote, “Instead of hating the people you think are war-makers, hate the appetites and disorder in your own soul, which are the causes of war. If you love peace, then hate injustice, hate tyranny, hate greed – but hate these things in yourself, not in others.” 

Are we willing to sit with ourselves and do the hard work of facing the appetites and disorders of our own souls? We begin training in peace when we begin to practice loving our enemies, holding our possessions lightly, and refraining from gossip. The protest against war begins in our homes, in our relationships, in our local communities, and within ourselves.

“Pencil” appears in Keeper of the Winds, 2014.

Teresa Mei Chuc is the former Poet Laureate of Altadena, California. Teresa is the author of three collections of poetry: Red Thread, Keeper of the Winds, and Invisible Light. She is the founder and Editor-In-Chief of Shabda Press.

Read the Introduction to Koinonia’s Summer Poetry Series
Read Poem 1: Mary Oliver’s “Blueberries”
Read Poem 2: Thomas Merton’s “For My Brother”
Read Poem 3: Billy Collins’ “Hippos on Holiday”
Read Poems 5 & 6: Wendell Berry’s “Listen!” and “Why”
Read Poem 7: Li-Young Lee’s “The Gift”
Read Poem 8: Mary Oliver’s “Don’t Worry”

Share this with your friends:
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
PrevPreviousHoly Laughter – “Hippos on Holiday” by Billy Collins
NextFinding a Dear Friend at the Stewart Immigration PrisonNext

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

More to explore

Charles Bradley Performing
Blog
Steve Krout

The Lamentations of Charles Bradley

I became aware of Charles Bradley in 2015 and instantly took to his music. There was something in him that reminded me of two biblical figures that I’ve long loved: David, the psalmist, and Jeremiah, the weeping prophet. Bradley had both the heart and voice of a poet- prophet. One will hear in many of his songs the spirit of a man trying to stay righteous and honest and decent in a world that is going up in flames.

Read More »
February 16, 2021 No Comments
Blog
Steve Krout

Reflections on Martin Luther King Day

In many of the people I grew up with, I see a Christianity that is not informed by spiritual and civil rights leaders like Sojourner Truth, Martin Luther King, and Cesar Chavez. I wonder how differently our country would have been shaped had we been taught to be open to the Spirit’s moving in and through such prophets.

Read More »
January 18, 2021 No Comments
Blog
Steve Krout

5 Songs for Your Advent to Christmas Playlist

There’s the longing of the Advent season and there’s the excitement that is the Christmas season. I love both of those feelings.

Read More »
December 11, 2020 3 Comments
Blog
Bren Dubay

Leisure

Leisure is an end in itself, a time to dwell on the beauty of creation, to read a challenging book, to be carried away listening to a soaring symphony, to catch one’s breath at a stunning work of art, a time to step back to admire the work that one has done. It is a time to worship and pray, the highest forms of leisure. It is a time to contemplate goodness and allow that goodness and all these meaningful activities to re-create us.

Read More »
October 28, 2020 1 Comment
Springtime Orchard
Blog
Bren Dubay

The Great Divorce

Good art, good literature, helps us imagine what a new normal and a new world can be. It is vital in times like these to seek out that which helps us imagine a better world and encourages us to work together, perhaps in small ways like Sarah Smith, to build this new world now.

Read More »
September 30, 2020 No Comments
Peace Trail Sign
Blog
Bren Dubay

Lessons for Disciples

The father went on directing his remarks to Naomi, “You aren’t one of us. Why would my children play with you?”
Naomi looked at the grown man. She could see kindness in his eyes even though his tone and words did not match it. She said to him, “Aren’t we are all God’s children, sir? That makes us one family … doesn’t it, sir?”

Read More »
August 24, 2020 1 Comment

Contact Us

"*" indicates required fields

Name*
Mailing List
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Koinonia Farm

1324 GA Highway 49 South
Americus, Georgia 31719
Tel: (877) 738-1741
Tel: (229) 924-0391

E-mail: info@koinoniafarm.org

Facebook Twitter Instagram Youtube Flickr
Online Store

Looking for something else?
Enter a word or phrase below.

Koinonia In Your Inbox

Please fill out the information below so we can keep you up to date in your email inbox.

"*" indicates required fields

Name*
Type of Updates (check all you would like):
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Designed and maintained by Lowthian Design Works