WHAT HAS CHANGED, THEN?

Everything changes in life, 

Yet, some things don’t!

The light to the world outside 

Has, always, come from the Sun,

Even, at night, the Moon shines 

Only because the Sun is kind,

The Stars, which make my night beautiful, 

Are also the Sun’s siblings…

The wind, which blows as I go about, 

Comes from the distant seas and mountains,

And they, too, are Sun’s kin and kith!

Someone said, this morning:

“The world has changed,”…

I said to him:

“No, it hasn’t”.

Man may not live in caves, anymore,

He may not use stones, anymore, to do his trade…

He may no longer cover his waist with leaves,

And write his notes with feathers…

Or, light his fire with stones.

Yes, he doesn’t need elephants to fight,

Doesn’t carry news by scrolls..!

Kings are gone,

Kingdoms have fallen,

The bows and arrows have long been left behind,

God doesn’t send Prophets anymore…

Nor does He create anymore those Garden of Edens!

The breath is the same…

The hope is the same…

The thirst for closeness is the same,

The pain of loneliness, too.

The dreams still come from the heart, 

And the heart still beats, rejoices and bleeds…

The hand of God never ceases to beacon,

The need to love and be loved 

Will keep man, forever, on his two feet.

There is someone to rule 

And someone to be ruled, still…

Only, no one calls them ‘Kings’!

Man writes, still…

He fights, still…

He loves, still…

He betrays, still!

When the Sun comes in the sky, 

The world outside still glows…

When joy comes in my heart, 

The world inside still bows!

What has changed, then?

GERALD D’CUNHA

Pic.: Lionel Saldanha