BLESSING XII.

The Sixties people are growing old and dying,
the ones who were going to change the world.
Pete Seeger can no longer sing his own songs.
When he strikes the gong, it has a hollow sound.
"Sixty years," he cries, mourning the anniversary of Hiroshima.

When Rev. Kenjitsu Takagaki rings the gong, it is resonant.
"May this bell bring happiness and peace within ourselves,"
sounds the gong-
"May the music of the bell transform violence into compassion and peace,"
sounds the gong-
"May we all be free from suffering, hunger, and pain,"
sounds the gong.