DO NOT END.TODAY

Do not end

The song of bird

The sting of bee

The might and whole of all I see

Of all I hear

Of all I feel

The all of you

The all of me

Do not end

This love I give

You give

We give

This gentle touch

The trust that binds

The hope that builds

Be more than darkness unfulfilled

Do not end

The sound of breath that whispers soft upon this land

The scent of apple, peach, and pine

The joyful taste of oak cast wine

As dance, painting, music, word

Be moved by art in every form

By nature, sky, sea, and earth

As beauty sow this love defined

Do not end the reach of feather flown and far

The arc of moon

The blaze of sun

The furthest faint forgotten star

Do not put an end to this

The kiss of life, the chance to give

Do not end when day is long

With night begin, with love belong.

Do Not End

Do: to act with or without intent.

Not: the denial of an entity, action, or quality.

End: when or where nothing follows.

A poem about conflict and war across four domains:

.life

.love

.beauty

.today

Domain: an area, often controlled, real or imagined.

The music Do Not End seeks to touch upon the beauty of life and love.

Thoughts About The Poem Do Not End

The poem, artworks, and music Do Not End extends over four domains: .life .love .beauty .today.

I have tried to create a poem that is as easily read by a child as by an adult. It is an individual's voice to another, to many, and about our relationship with the natural world.

For those who enjoy experiencing a richer text, the domains, images, music, and words combine to create the whole. The domains of life, love, beauty, and time might be considered as different countries of the heart, both physical and spiritual. The first image on each domain is related, yet distinct. Still images of moving water are used as metaphors. All living things require water to exist. The images at the base of each page work with the poem by pausing the mind upon one of its elements.

Do Not End might be thought of as a plea, a demand, wish, or hope. The poem presents conflict and war as a choice humans can end. Hostility between individuals, groups, and towards the natural world. The words do not describe the violence and darkness of conflict and war, but rather the power and value of those things that are lost as a result of it. The domains act as a meta-text of four areas of importance of what not to end:

Do Not End Life
Do Not End Love
Do Not End Beauty
Do Not End Today

Another way to express 'do not end life' is 'do not kill'. I avoid this more explicit phrase as it has a tendency to act negatively for those readers who may be resistant to calls for peace. In contrast the phrase 'do not end' is more interpretive, and could mean not wanting something to end. In this way, do not end love could also be expressed as do not stop loving. Do not end beauty as a way of saying that all those things we experience as wonderful to the senses and spirit should be valued, and not broken or cast aside as they are in conflict and war. Lastly, the domain do not end today could be interpreted as meaning do not end the present, or do not let today be the last for another, for nature, for love, or for beauty.

My thoughts about the poem do not end...

Mike de Sousa
^{Oakley · England}