O Man! O Man!

a poem by Hyder Nayab

Much as I hesitate to say this:
When would you understand, O Man!
What has been taught you since ages
Through Prophets, Avatars, and sages?

How often has it been conveyed
That as the most advanced primate,
Brought into being by Cosmic Plan,
You should live and let live in peace.

Were not those concerns of virtue,
Love, justice, truth, and rectitude,
Prudence, piety, and forbearance,
Ingrained in your mental fabric?

How could you forget that conscience,
Which picks nuances of right and wrong,
Is ever at your beck and call,
Always anxious to pilot you?

Did not human sense and feeling
Bestowed on you by Almighty,
With fatherly expectancy,
Distance you from vice and ill will?

Yet, look how far you are enmeshed
In thoughtless self seeking pursuits,
Sans ever taking notice of
All those that inhabit this world.

So much so, Earth is overwhelmed,
And moaning wounded, insulted,
Recklessly wronged a thousand fold,
By your senseless degeneration!