Prosperity And Poverty Poem by Rm. Shanmugam Chettiar

Hunger for food has been met;
Hunger for love has set in.

Hunger for power has been met;
Hunger for ethics has set in.

Hunger for lust has been met;
Hunger for faith has set in.

Thirst for knowledge has been met;
Thirst for innocence has set in.

Thirst for contacts has been met;
Thirst for concerns has set in.

Thirst for comfort has been met;
Thirst for compassion has set in.

Love, ethics, faith lost,
Innocence, concerns and compassion missing,

Despite food, power and lust,
Despite knowledge, comfort and compassion,

The soul will die a slow death
Long before the body succumbs.

The world will not die of poverty
But it will sure die of prosperity.
25.07.2008