The following is a poem I wrote a couple of years ago. It describes a post-apocalyptic world, and how it is saved by a man, simply known as 'The One'. This poem was in part influenced by my reading of Cormac McCarthy's The Road. The Road is also set in a post-apocalyptic world and chronicles the story of a man and his son trying to survive against the odds. The way McCarthy brings out the indomitable spirit of man, and the deep rooted bond between father and son are magical. It was a deeply moving read and got me thinking. What if we found ourselves in the same state of peril? What would we do? This poem is a result of those musings.
The One
Sitting alone in his abode of science,
The One, has put an end to man's vain defiance.
A remarkable day for humankind,
A day of pride and tribute to the power of the mind.
His brainchild boasts of the power to end this self-inflicted period of pain;
A period literally frozen in time, with the heavens, all the while spewing black rain.
Now, an oracle, distraught and forlorn
Nevertheless with hope in her heart, peering into her looking glass,
Sees for the first time, brilliant shades of green, blue and yellow, as if the world had been reborn!
On the brink, is the Golden Age, Alas!
But the journey has been long and hard, full of sorrow and loss.
Beginning with that fateful day, the oceans met the heavens and unleashed their might.
The day Gaia thundered, shook, and put up a real fight!
Sending hordes of mere mortals to their father who art above.
Perhaps, for not showing their world enough love.
The One, repenting for man's many a misgiving,
Toiled and toiled till an elegant solution came into the reckoning.
The Holy Grail of our time has thus emerged from it's shadow.
And it is upto us to make sure we don't need to tomorrow.
"There are three kinds of people; those who see, those who see when they are shown, and those who do not see"
