Paradise Lost

I long for the days of old

When we lived with the earth

Betrothed neighbors, fellow inhabitants

Listening to one another’s needs

And living accordingly

But now,

I feel deep sadness for the course of humanity

Perhaps this is rooted in ignorant idealism

Neglecting consideration of the dark courses of past civilizations

Perhaps it is an eternal longing for that perfect time

If it exists

When harmony bonds humans and nature and God

But now,

We have forgotten nature

We tromp upon it as the forgotten ancestor

Deceased and out of consciousness

It whispers to us softly

A gentle urge to redirection

But we cannot hear for the motors of the auto

The buzz of the airwaves, the frantic screaming psyche

It tells us to slow down

To smell, to taste, to touch, to feel

But we robots, who put a schedule to time

A number to moments and pictures and experiences

Do not leave room for such things

I am in mourning for the human condition

The paradise we lost

And I fear cannot be found

At least not here, no not now