If I Had a Wish

If I had a wish, then it would be

Peace throughout the world, you see.

If people could see what peace could bring,

We could join hands and together we’d sing.

You wouldn’t see children with crying faces,

Happiness would be present in all places.

We wouldn’t have to worry about blood and gore,

And my mom wouldn’t have to go off to war.

A very long time ago,

People fought with arrows and bows.

Today we use missiles, rockets, and bombs,

We also use many guns and napalm.

Wars cause destruction, as you can see;

If we didn’t have wars, we all could be free.

—Natalie Nielsen

daughter of Jay and Deanna Nielsen,

veterans of the Vietnam War and Operation Desert Storm

Salt Lake City, Utah

Fifth Grade

December 1990

USA flag cover image, Photodisc Red Collection/Getty Images

Nurse cover image, courtesy of National Archives, image no. 044-PA-204

Cover design copyrighted 2005 by Covenant Communications, Inc.

Published by the Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah

Printed by Covenant Communications, Inc., American Fork, Utah

Printed in Canada

© 2005 by Brigham Young University

All rights reserved

Any uses of this material beyond those allowed by the exemptions in U.S. copyright law, such as section 107, “Fair Use,” and section 108, “Library Copying,” require the written permission of the publisher, Religious Studies Center, 167 HGB, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah 84602. The views expressed herein are the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the position of Brigham Young University or the Religious Studies Center.

ISBN 0-8425-2611-0