Friday 7 March 2014

The Skyscraper

He was the most majestic tower around,
High and mighty, heavenward bound.
Men named him ‘skyscraper’ as he was strong,
And they were seldom wrong!

He stood tall with his head high in the air,
The rest of the buildings looked short ‘n’ square.
“I probably must be the reason why it rains”, he thought.
A glorious existence, his ego sought!

A few years passed with no major change.
All remained the same in the visible range.
Until one day development decided to inspect;
Yet the skyscraper had nothing to suspect!



Activity was happening only at the ground level
And workers were busy with their spade and shovel.
He was the cloud-cutter and the tallest of them all.
Anything built higher would meet a fall!

Months went past, people worked relentlessly,
As concrete and sand competed effortlessly.                
Taller buildings and wider roads were here to stay
As changes happened every day!

The skyscraper looked up for the first time.
He cried and complained and called it a crime.
But he also noticed that the sky was high, very high
“The humans know nothing”, he said with a sigh!

He had to console himself and continue being there,
Though deep within he felt all was not fair.
The taller building looked down on him with contempt
His effort to befriend them was a wasted attempt!

The burden on the earth below was mounting;
And so our haggard friend stopped counting!
Man’s numbers and ego grew as did the buildings around.
Old buildings lost as new ones found! 

The trees were cleared to house more of the men,

Along with their fancies, along with their fun.
Since the horizontals did not provide enough space
The verticals were pulled into the race!



But one day the earth could bear all these no more.
There was a tremor and she let out a huge roar!
Man’s inflated ego was pierced as his buildings fractured;
And upon their egos they crashed!
















Author's note: 


The world is moving at a frenzy pace towards what has not come to be viewed as development. Though mankind claims to be moving towards an Eco-friendly living, what we see reaching the platter is too little and more often too late. The noise raised over violations are too feeble that it is lost in the din made by development.

How long can the earth bear this? Despite modern technology to predict nature’s fury, we have neither been able to precisely predict the outbursts, nor have we been able to prevent the predicted ones. Global warming, warmed up as a public debate, went through political hiccups and is waiting to be forgotten by graver issues. Every important issue has met with similar fate.

Stringent measures have to be put in place and implemented to avoid any large scale calamity in the near future. Hope we, as a race are responsible enough to realizethis for our own survival and the survival of this green planet. 

Metaphorically, the poem also reveals the very nature of life on earth. As we get old, we have to continue living and see the younger ones tower above us, until one day we are no more...








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