Born in occupied territory
Born into dictatorship tyranny
Born into military oppression
Born in a land stripped of liberty
Born into freedoms suppression
—
No protest march He organised
No participation in civil disobedience
No slander He shouted
No nationalistic propaganda
No preaching of insurrection
—
You said pray for those who abuse you
You said lay down your life for your neighbour
You said bless them that curse you
You said love your enemies
You said forgive those that sin against you
—
For His tears kissed the desperate
For His words comforted the lonely
For His friends were the forsaken
For His actions encouraged example
For His hands healed the broken
—
Let compassion reach out to the hurting
Let your life portray love
Let mercy defeat anger
Let grace overcome hate
Let your light shine in a world of darkness
——-
Written for Poetry Jam and Poets United
Life From A Park Bench 
Amen, your poem is an affirmation of good living, have a nice Wednesday, thanks for stopping over at my blog
Much love…
loving your enemies and praying for them are some of the harder disciplines…i really like the form and progression of this alan…it is the way to live….
i wish from the deepest of my heart your prayer comes true!! honest!
An example was set for us to follow. What is the sad part is how we have maligned that example. Beautiful Alan!
the last line says it all..” let your light shine in a world of darkness”…. I read it twice..so powerful yet promising a world full of light…..the light of peace…
Alan, this is beautiful and speaks right to my heart. Thanks for the boost, on a heavy topic.
and that person to me is Jesus Christ. although I believe it could be any other deity of another religion but Jesus he is to me. this was fantastic…thank you!
Love the last stanza. And actually love is at the bottom of all He taught.
I do hope that somehow love with triumph in the end. More people need to let their lights shine and follow & follow the words that God has spoken about love.
Sometimes the situation is so grim that I wonder how love can finally triumph. But I do not want to lose that hope.
absolutely marvelous piece! touched the heart
Amen….I do believe love/kindness will finally conquer all wars!
He has shown the way but who’s following Him?….so the world suffers….this poem beautifully holds light and gives us strength and hope to dispel darkness…wonderfully done Alan…
Alan,
I like that there is good advice contained within your poem. In fact, I felt it had a message rather like a prayer, or even the Beatitudes..An excellent read Alan, thank you.
Eileen
It is hard to find a comment worthy of such certain and knowing thoughts and words
Wonderful words reminding us what is needed in this life.
Lots to keep close in our thoughts here. Well written.
Powerful poem, Alan. It was precisely what I had in mind when I wrote my thankful poem about peace at home…