Then ... And Now

(When ... Where)
 

Once upon a time when the world was new,
When the heavens were bright and men were few,
When lakes and rivers were clean and pure,
When life was simple, sated, secure,
When trees grew tall and the grass grew thick,
When fruit was varied, wholesome and sleek,
When the stars shone bright in the night sky
When valleys were lush and mountains high,
When men told the truth and rarely lied,
When children played, laughed and seldom cried,
When ... But that was then and now is now,
Where men seek the truth but don't know how,
Where rivers flow dark and polluted,
Where food is generically substituted,
Where city lights the night sky obscure,
Where the atmosphere is fetid, impure,
Where trees, still immature, are cut down,
Where children no longer laugh but frown,
Where men are aplenty but joys are few,
Where the Earth is too weak to start anew.

Empangeni, 2001.
 

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