1,000 Pieces of Peace

for poets and authors of any age, anywhere:

Dear Fellow Poets and anyone anywhere who cares about peace, Peace and love are on my mind now all day, everyday...

Do you remember the story of Sadako the little girl who died as the result of the Hiroshima bombing? Her goal was to fold 1,000 origami cranes before she died, an act of hope and peace. She died before she finished, but since then, children from all over the world continue to send thousands of colorful peace cranes to the Peace Museum in Hiroshima. Thus, they show their support and faith.

I traveled for two weeks in November with Patch Adams and 25 other clowns on their 24th annual humanitarian clowning trip to Russia. We visited sick or abandoned children in hospitals, orphanages and home hospices, clowning and sharing love, laughter and peace.

Action: I am gathering poems, quotes and prose pictures about peace* from writers around the world, of all ages and backgrounds, published or not. They will be arranged in a book, the proceeds of which will go exclusively toward building in West Virginia, the world's first silly hospital, a proto-typical model of health care delivery.

See www.PatchAdams.org; Patch Adams: Gesundheit (Patch Adams & Maureen Mylander); Housecalls (Patch Adams).

This one-of-its-kind hospital will treat patients free of charge using the most modern medical technology and alternative methods including humor, drama, art, music, playful architecture and old fashioned family-doctoring. There will be no insurance required or accepted.

Arnold Adoff, Maya Angelou, Lee Bennett Hopkins, Zilpha Keatley Synder,Joan B. Graham, Jaime Adoff, Jude Mandell, April Halprin Wayland, Michelle Parker-Rock, J. Patrick Lewis, Jane Yolen, Honor Moore and several others have already contributed their poems.

Classroom teachers around the world are sharing this request with their students. I have asked the Obama Family, Patch Adams, Robin Williams* and Oprah Winfrey to participate in 1,000 pieces of peace.

Would you please join us?

What: send one or more peace pieces

When: DEADLINE: MAY 3OTH

Where: judy [dot] fisk [dot] lucas [at] gmail [dot] com

Why: To do something for peace

Thank you from the center of my heart Judy Lucas SCBWI Member & CSUCI writing student Camarillo, CA

Sample quotes:

Peace is the only battle worth waging. Albert Camus Mitakuye oyasin.

We are all related. Lakota When the power of love overcomes the love of power, the world will know peace. Jimi Hendrix

Give peace a chance. John Lennon

This is our cry. This is our prayer. Peace in the world. (inscription on Sadako Sasaki’s statue in Hiroshima)

World peace begins on the playground. Alexis O’Neill

Heavenreaders, do you think you can find one-liners from Heavenletters to send to:

judy [dot] fisk [dot] lucas [at] gmail [dot] com

I wish we could send whole Heavenletters, but obviously not.