ninehillsRAMBLE in the JUNGLE
The War-Action-Peace-Words Loop
By Wanaku Verdzekov · · Global
Tags: poem, war, peace, language
War, Peace, Action, Words:
A tangled web of thoughts and swords.
Unspoken thoughts, unformed, confined,
Choke the flow of a peaceful mind.
Bottlenecks birth volcanoes high,
Pressure rising, no reply.
War is action, fierce and fast,
Peace is words that try to last.
Round and round, the cycle turns,
When war ignites, then peace returns.
Or words may spark the clash we see;
The loop goes on eternally.
WAPWL, this loop of ours,
Holds the power to build, or scour.
Which to pick? The choice is fraught,
Actions and words entwined with thought.
In the Beginning was the Word?
In the End… just WAPWL?
TM
— Wanaku Verdzekov
Reading & grammar
Reading level: Gr 8–10
Understand
- According to the poem, what is war, and what is peace?
- What happens when thoughts stay "unspoken"?
- What do the letters WAPWL stand for?
Grammar focus: acronyms. An acronym is formed from the first letters of a phrase: WAPWL = War-Action-Peace-Words Loop. Writers coin acronyms to turn a long idea into a memorable label.
Try it: Create an acronym for a four-part idea from your own life (for example, a study routine). Explain each letter.
Discuss: "Words may spark the clash we see." Can words cause wars, or only actions? Argue with examples.