Words have a power to unite and heal.
As a response to the violence in our Davenport and Quad Cities community – especially the recent deaths of 10-year-old Breasia Terrell, 12-year-old Devell Johnson Jr. and 14-year-old Jaman Winfrey and in hopes of a more peaceful future, I am putting together a crowdsourced poem on the topic:
To End the Violence…
I want to include a diverse range of voices from all age groups and backgrounds. If you are a resident of the Quad Cities, please feel free to submit between 1 and 15 lines on the topic of “To End the Violence.” Your poem does not need to be written in a particular format or rhyme scheme – it just needs to be written from your heart and unique perspective with an intent to dream a better future for our community. Comment below with any questions or e-mail your submission, along with your name, hometown, occupation and age to UniteinPrayer33@gmail.com by June 7th.
Though I cannot guarantee all submissions will be included in the final poem, I plan to publish as many responses as possible on this Web site in one way or another sometime in June.
Not sure what crowdsourced poetry is? Link here to an explanation, along with a popular recent example by Kwame Alexander called “This is Our Dream”
Thank you in advance for your participation and for spreading the word! God bless you and our Quad Cities Community with peace, unity and an end to this violence, especially all harmful acts perpetuated against our beloved young people.
World Peace starts within then ripples out into the world around us. How are you working to end the violence in your own heart, mind, family, community and world? Comment below, and I’ll be delighted to keep you in my thoughts and prayers.
Lord, our hearts are broken over the violence in our community, especially that which is perpetuated against our beloved children resulting in a loss of life. Show each of us how we can bring Your healing, love and support to the most vulnerable among us, who have been impacted by this sickness in our society. Fill us with the conviction and guidance it will take to become part of the solution. Spark miraculous transformations deep inside our hearts, so we can become ever more capable of bringing Your Peace into this broken world. Unite our efforts and multiply them with Your Power, so the roots of hatred will dissolve before they can ever manifest into another act of violence in Davenport, Iowa, the Quad Cities and across the globe. In Jesus name, we pray. Amen.
written by Nicky Gant for http://www.uniteinprayer.org 5/2/2021