Then And Now Poem by Bipin Patsani

So beautiful the world was
and life in general
so easy, warm and amicable
for the ordinary folks
who knew no pretensions!

What made it torn apart,
what wind, what game
of give and take
swept all our dreams to dust,
our pillars of peaceful coexistence
succumbing to rust?

That this business
of seeking support
would turn our home
to a battlefield
and the winning craze
would metamorphose our life
to a public pandemonium,
we did not know.

The more money we make
in our selfish self-righteous zeal,
the more we break ourselves
as we break our homes
leaving fraternity at stake.

Everywhere we see
the mad race for space.
The unfortunate plight
of push and pull
we see everywhere
as people swap self esteem,
swap support and thorough fare
for free feed, feasts and favour.