The Man Who Saw Tomorrow

K. Radhakumar *

The man who saw tomorrow said:
The world will not end in fire
Nor in ice
But will
Suffer and suffer and suffer
Before the sun rests behind the western horizon.
He also said:
Future would say
You stole our lives.
Children who are just born
And children who are yet to be born
Will suffer for an incomprehensible crime
Not committed by themselves.
This is the modern predicament
And this is none of my doing
Yet suffer I will.
Civilization for once breeds bad parents –
Appalling crimes committed today
And yesterday also
Against innocent children of tomorrow
Your own flesh and blood.
A boy grew up in the country
And he was not satisfied
With what he saw, and with what he had.
He was all for a civilization
Based on the vague notions of development
Which is nothing but high-rise buildings,
Fast moving cars
Burning gallons of liquid gold
And long, long bridges.
The logic of insanity is appreciated
Two centuries hence.
The Himalayas moves down,
The oceans roll,
The sea levels rise,
The coastal towns become another Atlantis,
The omnipotent God is entombed under
The legendary city of Dvaraka.
The deserts grow
Floods, droughts, famines, hurricanes –
In quick succession and with greater magnitude
The devastation made by natural calamities
Magnified by human induced activities –
Oh, the eternal hell is everywhere
And man condemned for crimes committed by others;
No, it's not doomsday
Doomsday is still far off