Passing Peace – Poem by Ali Grimshaw

~ Ali Grimshaw 
when he first drew the lines he had no idea
how far that circle would roll

how it would arrive on windshields, bridges, believers
show itself on countryside barns, walls within cityscapes
live on t-shirts worn by people of every color

he didn't know and he let his heart draw forward
a circle of himself, arms outstretched

today this rocksolid symbol
kept pocketwarm for peace 
she is determined to hold

traveled with her in faith
to pass onto small hands.

©Ali Grimshaw 2022

"I was in despair. Deep despair," he wrote, according to the book TM: The Untold Stories Behind 29 Classic Logos. "I drew myself: the representative of an individual in despair with hands palm outstretched outwards and downwards in the manner of Goya's peasant before the firing squad. I formalized the drawing into a line and put a circle round it. It was ridiculous at first and such a puny thing." - Gerald Holtom

The symbol was adopted by the British Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, of which Holtom was a member, and made its public debut Easter weekend, 1958.

from The origin story of the peace sign by LAUREN HANSEN

Join in dVerse Poets' Pub Open Link Night HERE. You can watch the video recording of today's gathering.

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35 thoughts on “Passing Peace – Poem by Ali Grimshaw”

  6. Somehow I missed this one–like Lisa, it gave me goosebumps. So moving and beautiful–awe-inspiring in the real sense of the word. Thank you for sharing this story. I’ve never read about it before.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

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