Random Diwali Rumination Poem by Thinker Shah

The cradle of civilization, a teacher to the human race
There was a time when world's centre we did grace

The glaciers hadn't melted, world crawled on all fours
My sages then wrote texts and opened wisdom's doors

Truth is one, my forefathers once profoundly said
Call it by any name, no matter what path you tread

Noble ideas from all sides, I had perennially sought
Philosophy, medicine and math, to the world I taught

Peace, love and charity, I offered to every sentient soul
Goodwill for all, the world I perceived as a family whole

Things changed a little with the shifting sands of time
The wheel of fortune turned, I lost my position prime

Those who enlightened the world face days now dark
Counters of lions' teeth now see a new low watermark

We keep trundling down on a vicious slippery slope
It's all doom and gloom sans even a glimmer of hope

How do people rise when they're from the neck up dead
And those who're not, can't call a spade a spade.

Change is the only constant, we have very often seen
Will the clouds dissipate and the sky again be clean?