A vision of blessed times

It is a poem that depicts the drudgery of normal city life contrasting it with the poet's vision of an age where the situations and people in general were a lot better.

I sat at my window, with a heavy heart watching the sinking city,

The one I had grown up in, it was now a jungle without stars.

The sky was laden with black smoke, the crust of earth landscaped,

But into what? Broken roads, potholes and gutters that reeked

and garbage dumps shamelessly displaying their crowning beauty.

So deep had the traffic run into my veins, all I could think of was an escape.

If only I could live in the pages of my books, that talked of a time

long ago when life was good, simple and easy without a rat race.

Disgusted to see the towering, filthy edifices that stole away the heart

of the city I had once known and turned it into a plundering machine

that took away the very soul of the people who lived there to survive everyday.

I wanted a life, not a routine. I wanted joy, not a money minting machine.

Beckoning my thoughts to help me imagine, a life in the past where life would happen

I shut my eyes and went into trance, reliving the old times with frenzied hopes

wondering where I should go. My mind engaged itself in dreaming of a far away door

through which I could step into a world that had peace, love and harmony.

Joy, beauty, and symphony. Where the air was fresh and mingled with fragrance

of nature that embraced us with caring hands, and nourished us with its servility.

They say there existed a golden age, who knows when, but in my head it was

a time where abundance, dignity and prosperity was everyone's birth right.

Where I could travel on foot to an unseen, mysterious far away place

and still be safe without the fear of the unknown binding my wit

and as I travelled and ate and slept, a flame of knowledge burned within.

I had so much to wonder, wishing such a world really did exist.

The people I met, were healthy and happy, rejoicing the bounty of creation.

They saw the power of love as their only weapon against the mighty forces of evil

When the lightening struck, during torrential rains, they stood as one

They fought back with determination and tranquility prevailed once again.

The little troubles never ceased but neither did their unity and strength.

They were gods in a human world living as mortal men.

They were not just kind to their own kin, but cattle and beasts alike

no soldiers or enemies existed, no wars or battles seemed necessary

The men and women and children basked in the glory of their hard labour

no one stole, no one bickered, no one bit, no one swore, no one faced inequity

they shared, they laughed, they were contented with the little that they had

never desiring more than what was their share, never were they displeased.

With lands not marred by concrete and gravel and tar, they walked on dewy grass.

The mountains and forests were in splendor with birds merrily singing.

The deer, foxes, hares, camels, horses all collected at pools to quench their thirst.

The rivers and seas were crystal clear and cooled the summer air with

their waves, calm and noisy. I watched the water lashing the shore as it greeted my feet.

I was living a fantasy. Because surely this reality was not possible to meet.

So far I had traveled into the labyrinth of my thoughts.

Coming back to the real world, the world I belonged to

I was sad, depressed, oppressed by the burden of truth

I looked out of the window again. I saw the roads that led to misery,

the roads that had no future, the roads that took me everyday to places

but those places were not where I wanted to be, ones I didn't wish to see.

I could live in a small hut made of willows, I could travel in

a bullock cart, I could eat food of peasants, I could play in mud.

I did not need a fancy vehicle, or a lavish home to live in,

I did not need food from an expensive restaurant, or a grand life.

When I saw all these worldly things losing value, I realized.

I did not wish to be rich, I wanted a richer world to live in.

Author's Note

Ignore grammar problems

Reviews

[Asya Kardzhaliyska]

This is absolutely beautifully written, with a poignant theme running throughout. You have a really great flow with your stanzas and some really beautiful lines like : "They were gods in a human world living as mortal men." Your feelings really shine through.

Just one tiny thing I think could make it practically perfect. I'd recommend cutting the entire last stanza, because it feels like you're repeating yourself a little bit. And the line, "but those places were not where I wanted to be, ones I didn't wish to see." is a much more powerful ending line, and I think with a poem like this the most important thing is to finish it with a punch. But like I said, it's only a small thing and the poem would work both and without it!

[Anushree]

Hi,
Thanks a lot. I wrote the poem in one go. When i began writing i only had a sense of the last stanza i wrote. The feelings of the last stanza were the ones i felt very strongly. Especially the line, i did not wish to be rich but wanted a richer world to live in. So i really want it to be that way. Because it is what actually made me start the poem. :D

[Asya Kardzhaliyska]

I understand that completely, I did really like the line, and like I said everything I say is a suggestion and ultimately I don't want to take away from what you want the piece to be, but your poetry skills are amazing :)

[Anushree]

Thank you! Its the first time i wrote a poem !