Once the Cornerstones

Once the Cornerstones


And once the cornerstones...
Now the wise men are weeping...

From deep within the urban exploration
Upon update, development and progress
Speak one half the masses
Dominating with comment
At town hall meetings—
Giving challenge, without vision:

“Should we pass along the profits,
From which our forefathers slaved?
Who built the storehouses
So we might reap the harvest today! ...”

Fists a-pounding!

“The battles have been fought; ground done gained!
And we are the grandchildren
For in whose name
The future was made! ...”

    And the other half speaks
    Shame, shame...
    What shame!
    ...resides extemporaneously!

    “Forgotten, have we?
    The snapshots of yesteryear; of those who trudged,
    Sidestepping, potholes of pleasure
    For any forethought
    Could cradle our tomorrows and tomorrow the next...”

    Pith outstanding!

    “Forgotten, have we how to save applause?
    How the blood sweating tears
    Embeds every cornerstone
    On every street corner
    Of every home—
    Begging for legacies to continue!”


Just envision...
How stewardship aspired—
Focused on campaigns
Long-term and winnable…kept the place safe

Building community solid—the hidden power
Of those who forged complex mandates
Of those who wove intricate tapestries
And built for prospective holdings...
Planting the trees that line the streets
And the grasses covering
Meandering through towns, like rivers
Watering and
Warming its feet

But now, listen to the cries draining in the darkness
Shivering
And parched
Resources pocketed—
Progress casting a die
Where living on borrowed money
Steals from the children
Spinning without direction—
Have we lost the vision? ...ask the wise men from the deep...

And, now, no one can speak—
Voiceless millions and the minions speechless
None wise among them
Cornered and stifled
Boarded up, the centres of town
Peer with vacant eyes...
Unblinking

The two halves splitting, further apart
Cornerstones crumbling
Off earthy edges, to swim in pleasures
Living for today
Just to survive
And the trees are dying and the grasses are drying
Fast and furious
The burn continues

Listen up!
As the mired weep;
As greed pushes progress—contemptuously
...and the attenuated rally bloody tired...

And blame...yes, blame
Passes blame around
Is put off till tomorrow
Because it pleases today