A free-verse poem about modern life with its conveniences versus experiencing Nature. |
Today, modern urban Man lives in a technologically superior environment. He resides in controlled air, summer and winter – no chills and no sweat. He enjoys in-door plumbing, electricity and gas for cooking, bright lighting all twenty-four hours. He is entertained by instantly- available music and movies on television and Internet. He lives a convenient life style. Such is progress. Modern Man travels in relative comfort at amazing speeds. He drives his car on Interstate highways at 70 to 78 mph, traversing five or more states in a day, with music and conditioned climate. Zoom, zoom. When asked, “Have you ever been to Montana?” “I drove through it once.” “What was your impression?” “I dunno. It was all a blur.” In olden days, travelers truly experienced prairies of grass, streams to drink or swim in, hills and valleys. They smelled the flowers in bloom, heard the birds sing and the howl of wolves and coyotes, and tolerated the heat or cold. They welcomed as friends fellow travelers along the way. Today’s travelers know only that ribbon of concrete and rest stops and fast food outlets with E-Z off and on. They have road rage, flip off drivers who cut them off. But they get there much faster! Such is progress. In olden times, Man went to sea to earn a living fishing or whaling, or to move his family to a new life in a new world. They felt the wind in the sails, tasted the salt air, and rolled with the waves’ swells. They experienced the sea! More people cruise over the seas and oceans now than ever before. Today, most people cruise on vacation for relaxation on a behemoth ship, where they are too high up to experience the sea except like a postcard. They expect a smooth ride in which they hardly ever feel the roll of the sea below. They never get to know the power and majesty of the sea. Such is progress. Olden Man slept in pitch- dark with a dazzling display of wondrous lights filling the nighttime sky above. Modern Man in his cities and suburbs never see the true nighttime sky. He gets merely a pale, light-bleached, washed-out view of the stars above. Such is progress. Modern Man values convenience and comfort over the touch of Nature. He has a far better life than in olden times. Yet, he needs to stop and reflect every once in a while on everything he is missing by his being so insulated from Nature. Please check out my ten books: http://www.amazon.com/Jr.-Harry-E.-Gilleland/e/B004SVLY02/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0 |