When the Bell Rings

I open my eyes and see

the greed of the self-proclaimed

righteous ones devouring

our children as if each nation

that becomes their prey then

provides a course for

the meal of those

praying to their god

over the feast for the

self-ordained conquerors

of the diversity of the world

And I close my eyes and see

the path to peace hauntingly

call to us through the voices

of the hunted ones

and through the memories

of the ghosts of the

past resisters who all wait

to see if we will step

onto the path they hoped for

and they forged or who

will remain frozen in silence

And the bell rings

and calls some to the meal

and some to prayer

 and some to awaken and

rise up in this sacred moment

and know that the endings for some

are the beginnings for others

 and the desire to overpower

can be answered by

the will to overcome

and the bell rings for you

—Chris Pepple © 2026