Old is not always gold -says the younger generation

Old  is not always gold  -says  the younger  generation

By

P.R.Ramachander

1.Some  grandpas   both from cities  and small  villages,

Had their  usual meeting   on the  benches of a city park.

 They then   started  talking    about    the greatness  ,

Of those days   when they were  naughty  young children.

2.Those times were great as we   were  all healthy  ,

As guided  by our parents   wise, we were   taking,

Healthy food and    as all of us had back breaking work,

We never  had any  physical   problem to worry.

3.Since   all the   ladies  of our houses were loving,

Caring and hard working   , we never had a care in the home.

All of us   got married   at a very  young age ,

So that there  were  no wants , and no yearnings in our life.

4.When they were  chatting like  this loud enough,

For all people   to hear , a few young lads   playing ,

On the other   side  of the park   approached them,

And asked “Oh Grandpas,  can  we  clear our doubts.”

5 “  We did read some books  about   the   life   ,

Of then and now in the  library   and it said.

The   age when people were  expected to die  then,

Was thirty   and now  it is   definitely nearing  seventy.”

6.” Those   books   further said  that  if a man attains sixty,

It called   for a very great celebrations   as such people were  very few.

And as for the people   celebrating   their eighty    second birthday,

They were so less ,  that such functions  were held  once in a decade.”

7.”Photos of roads   and places   showed    clearly  that,

Most of the old people of  fifty to sixty, walked hunch back,

With a  walking stick to support   them  and also,

Most of those   people  did not have  teeth and could not  read.”

8.”We are  sure   that all of you agree  that  , you  attend,

Every month  three  to four sixtieth     birthdays  ,

Almost  every two months  one   eightieth birthday,

And you have   attended  recently several  hundredth  birthdays.”

9.”You also are quite   aware   that during    those  days,

Almost   every home   had  miserable widows,

Whose age     ranged   from ten to forty 

Working  like   maid servants   for the family.”

10.”You   also   would  without   hesitation    agree with us,

That none of you  are hunched back   and none of you,

Ever use  walking stick,  and you read  lot of books  ,

And have either teeth in tact or  have  put dentures.

11.”It said that  the   food  you  could afford then    was minimal,

Devoid of all nutrition , as it lacked   varieties  of fruits and vegetables.

Due to poor   nutrition    and lack of health care  ,

Large  number  of mothers died  during  delivery.”

12.”WE are sure   you  use nowadays ,  lots of  varieties of vegetables ,

And there  is none here   who  do not eat   apples,

Pomgranates  and several other  fruits regularly ,

And  none of  us  have  heard  of death during   delivery   any time recently. “

13.”We  are   sure   you  that all of you  without fail,

Have noticed  that your children    are  much taller ,

As well as healthier   than you , because ,

They are having  much nutritious  food than you.”

14. “Even the babies    were   then  very poorly fed ,    as  they,

Came in a dozens in every home   and even a   rich father,

Could not afford   to feed them all to keep them all healthy,

And  the book said  a very large percentage of them died in infancy.”

15,”I am sure    all of you have  noticed   without fail,

That  most of the homes   have one   child or two,

And are   being brought    up like  children of kings,

With great  education   a coupled  with luxurious  living.”

16,”All of you are  aware   how our present  heavenly  homes,

During   your time  was   much more   than a hell,

By incessant  in- law   quarrels  , some times for dowry,

Some times just for fun ,which even lead  to burning  of brides.”

17.”True  we have changed, When  some one  tells something we  question them,

We  some times   do have  a miserable   life with a wife  , questioning   us,

WE spend lot of money   to make our life   in to a dream land heaven,

We leave  our children  with Ayas   , even when they are  babies”

18.”In our rat  race   called life  , when each of us tries to excel the other,

We  regretfully some times   are  not  able  to  do our duty properly,

Possibly we   are  not  that  good parents like you  neither  are we good sons,

But we   can assure you   that we want to do it   and we will do it.”

19 .’The seniors started  mulling over   what  has been told to them,

And felt that  there   was some truth  in   what  those lads told,

They felt they  themselves were  dwelling   only   the good   that was in past,

Ignoring lot of bad  that existed and  they all  went to their homes  better informed.