Poems by
Prasad Hariharan

Yesterday and Today – a Comparison

a poem by Prasad Hariharan

The world of yesterday, was free of all sorrow,
From which happiness and joy, one could borrow;
People living together in perfect harmony,
Sharing each other’s joys, forgetting their agony.

Noble thoughts, a nice demeanour,
A sound conscience, nothing to fear;
No hard feelings for one another,
In fact, each one ever-ready to sacrifice for the other.

Alas! Shocked and disillusioned, am I today!
Relating myself to the world of yesterday;
The moral values, the thoughts so vast,
Have shamefully remained a thing of the past.

Each one today, constantly endeavouring to outshine the other,
(In the process) treating with utter disregard, the feelings of the other;
Pointing out constantly at one-another’s sin,
Failing, however, to see the fault within.

People today, in the insatiable thirst for knowledge and power,
Have forgotten their age-old values altogether;
The honest person feels like a fish out of water,
Unable to resist the wicked man’s slaughter.

At this juncture, all that I can do,
Is request a favour from all of you;
By your noble thoughts and deeds, I pray,
Make the world a better place to stay.