Does Change Change

DOES CHANGE CHANGE? For history is wont to repeat itself Ever reneging, constant turning on the hinges For the old in nature’s obeisance Enter oblivious existence That the present may succeed the past For things now visible and feasible Were once formless vision, thoughts and whispered words Does change change? Will there be housing unit or tourist centre in the moon? Will a white smoke produce a black pope Will monarchy be separated from British democracy Will Christian and Muslim find a common ground? For the present order and scheme Were the embryonic idea in the belly of the past For just above some 1oo years ago Popular commerce was the transatlantic slave trade The equivalent of 21st century crude oil and narcotics Long before Wilberforce crossed Hull’s bridge Does change change? Will terrorism go the way of the dead and forgotten Will Palestine find Stately peace? Will Osama ever find the salaam in Islam Will Hamas and Zionists find a common factor of human race For barely 15 years ago Apartheid’s spectre stood stoically in South Africa The Black now reign where they once toiled like lesser humans For small-pox once held terror court Near and far, leaving more casualties than wars Dreaded like its 21st century incarnation –HIV Less than 50 years ago Black lived as slaves in sugarcane plantations across US Now US first family is full blooded black Does change change? Will HIV become a mere word of old English

Will guns and nuclear weapons Enrich and adorn our museum in 25 years now Would Iran be rich in Uranium or people? Will peace find a permanent seat in security council? For it was Kings and Princes some time before Reigned over lesser mortals as Lords and Masters of the known world called empires and kingdoms Now the emerging relics of our collective past Wall-posters of where we have been, and regal tourist attractions Government houses now in place of kingly courts; parliaments for palaces Does change change? Will semantics of poverty change to… say… property or plenty? Will there be equality of the classes Will woman truly be equal to man Will there come a time when the day will nor break? Will science conquer death? Some time ago Women were best house-keeping, voteless second class citizens 15th Saturday October 2009.