This is one of two poems which show how my moods could swing fairly dramatically, probably due to depression. This poem is sombre and reflective, the other — Life’s Great — is upbeat and optimistic. This one also shows that I didn't have a very good understanding of my Christian faith.
- Back in the days of yore,
- Before you and me,
- Before anything…
- In fact
- At the very beginning,
- There was a very wise man.
- He said, "I'm going to build myself a world.
- It's going to be a good world
- Full of wonder and beauty.
- It will have snow-capped mountains;
- It will have deep blue seas and lakes.
- On the lands will be
- All kinds of plants,
- And thousands of species of animals.
- The waters, too,
- Will shelter many plants and animals;
- And in the sky will be creatures
- Soaring gracefully aloft."
- It was a wonderful dream…
- And it would have been
- A beautiful world.
- But for one thing.
- That man,
- Back in the days of yore,
- Wise as he was —
- And even as he was shaping
- His marvellous vision —
- Did one thing wrong.
- He made one mistake:
- He decided to introduce one more animal
- To this idyllic world,
- And give it
- Authority over all the world.
- Man.
- He introduced Man
- And changed the course of the world.
- Man came:
- With his high intelligence
- And skilful hands.
- He tore down,
- Dug up,
- Destroyed.
- He killed animals for food,
- And clothed himself in their skins.
- Later he began to invent things:
- First the wheel,
- Then a multitude of other contraptions.
- Machines of all kinds,
- Gadgets,
- Whirligigs,
- All the time increasing
- In number,
- In complexity,
- In sophistication.
- Man gradually raised his standard of living,
- And the pace of living increased.
- The speed increased;
- The pressures increased.
- Then came the tensions.
- Multiplying in number.
- And devastating in their severity.
- It became too much for Man.
- He lost control…
- A victim of his own lifestyle.
- The wise man had a great and noble dream;
- But he sounded the death knell
- For his perfect world
- When he introduced Man to it.
- Instead of being Master of the world,
- Making it a beautiful place in which to live,
- Man has ruined it
- And is Master of nothing.
19 August 1971
Copyright © 1971, 1999-2008 by Alien Son. All rights reserved.