I have forgotten the smell of ink
& crease of paper on my hand
As I write to you
Everything here is paperless
Which makes my nose & other senses
Addled & forgetful of
The fragrance of roses
The taste of freshly cooked vegetables
The sight of crisp apples dangling from trees
The products here are artificially made
Genetically altered, lab controlled,
Mass produced, scientifically reprogrammed
All seasons ready & available at button's press
No need to go to grocery & lug them up your house
Food & drinks are delivered in small packs
A thousand flavors to choose from
Like seeds for spring, ready to explode
by adding half a cup of water
Not much cooking is required
My teeth are whiter
As I don't tear nor chew on my food
They have been blended soft & coagulated with vitamins
mandated by medical authorities
Here, you won't recognize the cities
Stacked by tubes & cylinders reaching near the skies
And guess who is walking along the walkways
Not just people but robots
Doing chores
Doing the planning for you
Carrying out your fantasies
Dulling your primal instincts with promises of efficiency
Yet I have to say
that until now we can't control the weather
Nor predict the arrival of hurricane's spinning eye
The universe is still a mystery
Wrapped in umbra of exploding stars
Birthing new planets crackling from the distance
I will not tell you where I am writing from
Because your future destination is yours to make
Bathe in the present
Uncovering the deepest meaning
For our time here, like the twilight
is precious and fading
and while there's certainly nothing new under the sun-
Under the moon, there is waiting
Ending lines & inspiration from Ben Burke's A poem from the future
Posted for D'verse Poets Pub - I am pleased to be your host for our Poetics inspired by Ben Burke's A poem from the future which originally appeared in TED.
Picture credit: United States OKs Canadian grown non-browning GMO apples - Okanagan Specialty Fruits two genetically modified apples — Arctic Golden and Arctic Granny — are deregulated by the United States Department of Agriculture.
