100 years from now,
Who will remember my name?
Who will protect my treasures?
Who will call forth the memories?
The world I know may be lost by then
Into nuclear winter or endless hot summer.
The few natives will have retreated
Into the bowels of the earth
For rough shelter and safety.
The earth may have slid in upon itself
Becoming an abstract Dali-esc spheroid of clay
Robotic machines may be keeping the peace
Comedy becoming a lost art
with only an abundance of fearful snickers
and outright chuckles rarer than hen's teeth.
Music a distant memory
A long ago dream of another land
Propaganda in song more of a Greek chorus
Days hard and empty
Nights cold and unnerving
Who will remember the unscripted laughter of a child?
Who will protect the benign lover?
Who will call forth their own courage,
100 years from now?
This reminds me of the song "Who Will Answer" by Ed Ames.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful words however, foreboding.
For my grand children's sake, I hope the fututre will not be so bleak.
ReplyDeletei hope we never forget the beauty in a childs laughter...it is interesting to think that far into the future....i will not see it...without advances in medicine...ha...but it will be in our grandchildrens time...i have some fears about it actually....
ReplyDeleteIt does make you wonder as life certainly does go in cycles and mankind tends to think it will stay as it has been or with the improvements it deemed important. We are after all at the center of the Universe ;).
ReplyDeleteOf course, if reincarnation is true, we might ourselves be back-- well maybe fighting to get back if there are less humans here due to catastrophic events that humans themselves brought upon the earth.
A beautiful poem. And yet it may illicit a few nightmares from me tonight. I often wonder/worry about these things.
ReplyDeleteWell, that brought tears to my eyes and emotion to my heart this morning. Did you say you were joining a writers group.
ReplyDeleteHave you been watching/reading too many post-apocalyptic stories? We must have a little more faith in the future if we have chosen to bring children into it.
ReplyDeleteProfound thoughts this morning. I look at my grandkids and I worry, not if they will remember me, but for their welfare. As we face an unusually hot, 100+, week ahead, I wonder if its permanent and fear for what we have done to our world and our children's future.
ReplyDeleteI think that every generation has fears for those they love as they look at what is happening in the world. I do believe in "end times", but I see them as glorious rather than bleak, a time of peace that is beyond our imagination. Have a peaceful day!
ReplyDeleteYou may be right about all this but all we have is the here and now and it's our job to make the best of it. I, for one, don't want to live in a world that doesn't contain the laughter of children.
ReplyDeleteMay we keep fighting against such a future.
ReplyDeleteI see change for the future, but hope that it might be more positive than negative. Surely laughter and fond memories cannot be obliterated completely? I like the poems you're writing - they make me think.
ReplyDeleteThey say that there are 3 deaths: once when your heart stops, once when they put you under, and finally when someone mentions your name for the last time. In 100 years, my grandchildren will be gone. Now I'm sad.
ReplyDeleteThe next generation is downsizing and keeping the memory of us on flash drives.
ReplyDeleteThe unscripted child's laughter really struck my emotional chord. I love the lead in stanza and all good questions. That is a wonderful shadow shot. Makes me want to look for a long time and penetrate its mystery and pull.
ReplyDeleteWELL---100 years from now, I hope that I'm in a 'better' place---with loved ones who are no longer with us, enjoying a different kind of life where there will be on more wars, hatrid, stealing,lying, cheating, unhappiness, etc..
ReplyDeleteBUT--on a non-personal level, I wonder what in the world our country will be like in 100 years.... IF we keep going like we are now (with all of the lying and corruption by our country's leaders--in D.C. and states, whom 'we' elected)--who knows what America will be then... Scary thoughts to me. I do worry about my grandchildren and their children down the line...Many of us have tried to live the best life we can --but many have not.
Hugs,
Betsy
Oh, I don't think it will be that bleak. 100 years is not really all that long. Perhaps 1000 years. Who knows?
ReplyDeleteMy own expectation, fueled by my religious beliefs, is that the future is both endless and wonderful. I hope it is, for everyone's sake.
ReplyDeleteSo beautiful poem!
ReplyDeleteIt makes me think so much about the future...
Thank you for your kind comment about Flora's post. :)
This is beautiful, Tabor. Leaves me with a heavy heart. Also reminds me of the haunting song done by the Duhks: "Who Will Take My Place."
ReplyDeleteNice. I made the mistake of looking over ten years' worth of Christmas cards and letters. What gets me down most is cheerful missives from people who subsequently suffered terrible misfortunes. Many have died, too. But the children keep coming, full of hope.
ReplyDelete