Legacy

If one day, our planet
Having not been reduced
To cold ash by human hands,
Or that of some power
Of the universe-
A truly foreign foot
Sets down on this planet
That once hummed with electricity
And human life,
To learn more of the beings
That had once inhabited it-
Crawled it's surface,
Cultivated it's soil,
Swam in it's waters,
Flew through it's skies-
What will they find?
By that time I'm certain
The bones of more
Proud and beautiful people
Will have been reduced
To dust long before
The last of the last has
Taken their final breath,
When our kind is but a faint echo
Trailing off into eternity.
There will be no mistaking
Our legacy for one
Of our ancestors'-
None are safe in their graves
From the alien anthropologists' eyes-
Will those scientists from afar
Dig deep into the earth
And become disheartened at finding
Aluminum pop tabs,
Scuffed chrome hubcaps,
And moldy sections of plastic pipes-
Instead of clay pottery shards,
Tarnished silver coins,
Or faded bits of loom woven tapestries
Dyed with boiled indigo?
Will they clear away tangled brush
And sigh at the sight of
This century's ruins-
The skeletons of automobiles
Gutted by rust,
The shells of houses
built of particle board-
Their main living chambers furnished
With moldy polyester funiture,
Situated to focus on a common idol-
A dead, glass-windowed plastic box,
It's guts a mass of copper wiring?
Will they long for the sights of
Temples erected in honor
Of long forgotten Gods
Furnished with alters
Carved from slabs of marble,
Their halls stocked with all manner
Of treasure and tribute?
If this was the sum of our species,
Our creations that were meant to endure-
What will be said about us
When the scholars among those foreign feet
Write about us in their textbooks?
 

Reviews

[Siobhan MacIntyre]

I think the title is perfect. The poem is, after all, about what we leave behind.

My own beliefs lean more toward there being nothing left at the end of the human race--not even the earth, but in the event I'm wrong... I love technology, but it has definitely come at a price, and while I'm no environmentalist, I do think the human race has not precisely practiced good stewardship of our resources over the last century or so. I also believe there's damn little we can do that will ever destroy the earth completely, but I think we sure can make living here doggone unpleasant.

You've articulately voiced some rowing modern concerns without being preachy and accusatory--and that is the best way to engage people's attention and make them want to listen. Nicely done. ;-)

[Red Raven]

written with deep thought and deep understanding,
Your work highlights your heart and you are a good human being.
The earth, generation and the title seems way more then perfect.
It's a thought provoking read.
Thanks for giving me a chance to read.

RedRaven

[Gandré]

I like very much your engagement about this Earth. So you are speaking about taking step back and because we are responsible for future generations. Very important text. thank you for reviewing my new piece. I am ill and so I keep it short. I liked very much.

[Spoken]

Thought provoking.. What will we leave behind and will it be worth remembering, worth being written down? I think the title suites it well. I enjoyed this

[T. L. O'Neal]

A powerful write with great imagery. T

[E. M. Murren]

Wow! Powerful write! Makes me think about the unthinkable. Well done.

[Klyn]

Ah yes, progress at it's finest. If I wasn't so afraid of fire...I'd be cremated. Great piece...one that makes you think!

[The Rock And Roll Cowbo..]

Certainly a very interesting piece... challanging all of us to question our past and our future... and as for the text books in school well history books in particular I can't say I believe much of them at all. Great deep thinking poem.

[R J Askew]

Could you find a title from somwhere in these lines???

From the alien anthropologists' eyes-
Will those scientists from afar
Dig deep into the earth........................or A Truely Foreign Foot ?????

I like the poem very much, it reminded me of Grey's Elergy In Country Churchyard...in it's mood.

[Adam Greenfield]

Things left behind. So damn scary. Hell of a write. I love the images and examples you used. Very clear and concise meaning in each of them. I also love the almost sarcastic tone of this. Awesome write here, my friend. Great job.