— on the summit of two superpowers

Peace does not live

inside the throne of power

nor beneath the ashes

of surrender.

It trembles quietly

between the rising hand

and the fading hand—

a fragile bridge of breathing.

The emerging power

wants to conquer tomorrow.

The sliding power

clings to yesterday’s shadow.

Between them,

history sharpens its knives.

Yet somewhere

a child waters a flower,

an old mother lights a candle,

a stranger opens a door

for another stranger.

And the earth remembers

that peace was never victory.

Conflicts begin

when greed builds walls

higher than human tears.

But conflicts evaporate

when survival recognizes

the face of survival—

hungry eyes meeting hungry eyes,

wounded hands touching wounded hands.

Then silence softens.

Then borders loosen.

Then enemies discover

they were both trembling

before the same dark night.

Peace arrives slowly,

like dawn crossing mountains

without a single sound.

Not triumph.

Not defeat.

Only humanity

learning again

how to breathe together.

• – TaeHun Yoon, May 16, 2026