THE ROAD

Once there was nothing but beauty

as far as the eye could see If you winked,

and as far as both, if you really cared to look

Once, you could listen, as far as you could hear,

and quiet would answer in agreement with serene

The wind danced with the trees,

as the leaves whistled in harmony to the silence still

The birds sang as we played in the stream

today-dreams of innocence filled

Careless and free we moved about,

In the perfect pace of our God-given gait

the cool morning dew at the soles of our feet

the warmth of the sunlight caressing our skin

Then one day with no warning,

without so much as a by your leave,

a strip of charcoal gray in the midst of the dream

appeared with yellow marks and a name

And bright-eyed monsters followed

howling and growling and carrying on,

and the man in charge called it progress

this dark intrusion into abiding accord

And the gray strip grew wider

incessantly fed by perceived needs and wants

its noise an assault to the senses

its presence an offense to the soul

And the ground grew unsightly bumps

on a steady diet of concrete and greed

existence within them, moving faster in haste

Beauty no longer noticed, quiet no longer heard

peace but rarely felt at this new maddening pace.

The business of progress, the gluttony of self

has placed us on a road accursed

inexorably regressing to the reality we have made

#regression #progress