Poems and Thoughts    by Frank Maurer

[Return to Poems and Thoughts index page]

The Gandhi Influence on Me. On my way home to California (about 1977), I stopped in New Delhi, India, to view Gandhi's death bed. He was assassinated on the grounds of Birla House (Museum of Gandhi Smriti), Now a national shrine for the nation. I had already read many of Gandhi's writings. The simple, small room where he died Was stark for the world's loss of a true humanitarian. I lingered there, quietly for a long period of time. I believe that experience remained with me personally, Goading my thoughts to act during the Civil Rights era; As well, and more profoundly, during Vietnam, After much agonizing, I declared myself a Pacifist. As a child, I retreated from or even ran away from conflict, And now, as an adult, I have always sought out negotiation. Frank Maurer 19 January 2026 1100 Hours.