Long years ago

The days were bright,

And life was not much ado:

Tell dear hearty,

Please do tell:

Where did those days go?

These days are hard,

Tough, full of strain,

Caught in the fix of loss and gain!

To those days of past, I want to retard;

This is the desire,

The desire of a bard!

Those days were good,

Those days were great;

Words came out from heart,

They did come straight!

Now we have mastered a malicious art:

We have made this brain a broker

Between the transactions of this tongue and heart!

The storm is harsh

But don’t look down:

Stare into the rain

With an intention so pure,

And keep on staring:

The silver lining is to be seen for sure.

From trees many things we gain,

Out of which oxygen is the main,

Every time their leaves and branches sway,

In their cold shade we like to lay,

They are the beauty of nature,

They are homes to many a creature

They are grown along the roads,

From their parts many diseases are cured,

Under their shade, children play all day,

But they are decreasing day by day,

As people are cutting them every day,

We should cut them never, so that they can leave on the Earth forever.

This feature was published on October 2, 2004