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
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