POETRY BY MOHAMED UMAR

The Paradox of Our Time

Today, we have taller buildings, but shorter tempers,
We find more leaders but few followers,
Build bigger houses, but live smaller families,
Today, we talk of peace, but make piece,
We have more degrees, but less sense,
More noise, and less silence,
Today we enjoy steep profits, but shallow relationships,
Form strong enmities, but weak friendships,
Make more fiends, but fewer friends,
Today, we have less means, but seek more ends,
Look for fashion, but have no vision,
Today, we eat more food, but gain less nutrition,
We have fancier houses, but broken homes,
Boast greater civilizations, but no norms,
Today, we talk of human rights and humanity,
And enjoy the benefits of technology,
But ignored the neighbours and went to the moon,
Today, we place stock in the showroom but nothing in stockroom,
Today's men though tall have short characters,
Seem smart outward, but real actors,
Today, we spend more despite having less,
Buy more, but enjoy it less,
We talk too much, and do too little,
Hate the wine, but love the bottle,
Today, we've only learnt to make a living, but not lives,
For, we want more money, and more wives,
More status, more power, and are greedy,
Fulfill own hunger, quench own thirst, but ignore the needy,
Today, we enjoy more blessings but feel no gratitude,
We want all freebies but have no giving attitude,
Today, we try adding years to life, but not life to years,
We've learnt to sympathize with no tears,
And today, we've split the atom but not prejudice,
We've more experts and no novice,
But less solutions and more problems,
Today, we've mothers in too high hems,
Wishing their children to be like gems,
And, today, we want to build trust but tell lies,
And make everything ours, but no sacrifice,
We've cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul,
Today, we have more planners, but reach no goal
We have more organizations, but no management,
We have more knowledge, but less judgment,
More teachers and more preachers,
But no role-models, all lectures,
Today, we have few learners, though more studies and tours,
More speakers, politicians, diplomats, but few doers,
Today, we have shrunk the world, but divided the mortals,
Earn higher incomes, but have lower morals,
Today, we've richer economies, but more poverty,
For we've lost all we had in dignity,
Today we fear terrorism,
For there's no nationalism,
We love leisure, pleasure and creature-comforts,
We want achievements and recognition, but with no efforts,
Today, we've more qualifications with less education,
In more profession, that's why more corruption,
We have more realizations but initiate no correction,
We do more sins, but attempt no redemption,
Today, we've wider freeways, but narrower minds and viewpoints,
Beauty-conscious we are today, but unhealthy gents!
Today, we love too seldom, and hate too often,
We love and protect all creatures, except fellowmen,
We respect all animal rights, but not human rights,
Today, we've too many magazines full of gossip, but about this, who writes?
Today, we enjoy more conveniences, but have less time,
Isn't this enough paradox of our time?
But who's there to guess.
Why with more medicine, less wellness,
Why multiply possessions, but reduce values,
To those who know, I leave, to properly deduce.
These, the paradox of our time we so reduce.

Copyright©MohamedUmar3May2004

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