PROGRESS

PROGRESS

First, there was a rock,
small enough to fill a hand,
heavy enough to kill
with a single blow….

Then the rock was fastened
to a stick-- a club was born.

Next the rock was sharpened
then tied to a long stick, now
a spear to kill quicker….

Then man’s genius thought
of a bow to carry a small spear
arrow-like to the enemy….

In time a dark powder was used
with a force loud as thunder,
powerful as a lightning bolt…

The a giant leap was made in
humanity’s war on itself--
a force as small as the atom
pulverizing entire cities,
killing generations at once
in a blinding light, the light
of a man-made hell….

What is next? AI no doubt,
and we will make it as evil
as we can be, only far, far
more efficient….

WHAT WE MISS

When the Lady died.
You cried and cried,
But she was not
Really a saint, though
You treated her so—
So when the true saint
Died in time nearby,
There was little weeping
And no pomp and silly
Circumstance for her.
But then she was
Quite old and wont
To love the poor….

And when the Prince
Expired alone and
Untethered, you
Wailed and mourned—
But why the grieving?
You did not know him,
He did not know himself

Why do you seek false gods
To follow and vainly worship,
And not seek out the One
Who made you before time

Contemplating Time, God, and My Soul on my 78th birthday

The time nears,
be it days or years,
when my soul must fly
and my feet shall trod
the dusty earth no more,
and God says yes or
God says no,
But go, my soul must go….

DIAMONDS DEEP IN THE DUST

They are everywhere,
If we would only look,
And bend and scratch
Through the thick dust
Of the weary mundane,
A world too often heavy
With boredom, pettiness,
Even thoughtless cruelty.

But the jewels are there!
Kick bravely into life’s dirt,
You’ll see them sparkling
Like secret stars in some
Dark, cold, lonely universe:
Red rubies of love, the deep,
Deep blue sapphires of hope
And most precious of all—
Myriad perfect diamonds,
Each an endless soul,
God’s eternal treasure….

Nolo Segundo, pen name of retired teacher L.J. Carber, became a published poet in his 8th decade in over 240 literary journals in 21 countries and 3 collections published in softcover by Cyberwit.net: THE ENORMITY OF EXISTENCE; OF ETHER AND EARTH; and SOUL SONGS. These titles reflect an awareness he gained over 50 years ago when he had an NDE whilst nearly drowning: That he has--is--a consciousness predating birth and surviving death, what poets since Plato have called the soul.