Metaphoric wisdom

Metaphoric wisdom

Words of my grandfather
uttered to make me better
in me often flicker.
Some appear to be funnier
but most to me are gifts precious
pulling me out of situations, precarious
Gaining in age and education
dare, I now at him to make fun.
His grandson in me decided to boo
at his words, a few
tasking it as his ignorance
of course to him with reverence
Unaware of the science, basic
on today’s world, he was a critic.
“Values of Ecology, and Tranquility
are fobbed off by your modernity.”

On a river bank flourished our village
with scenic beauty of fauna and foliage
enjoying the blessings of the river
and enduring the fury in her anger
lived the people since time unknown
as by riverside civilization was grown
harnessing her in every way
in harmony, all dwellers stay.
They never worry
at her flood’s furry.
in it they see
their prosperity
with fertility in their lands
hardly fields are spoiled by sands
On the upstream side of our river
a dam was built to harness her
in ways, multifarious
to make the areas prosperous
to arrest flood devastation
aid in electric power generation
and for irrigation of farming fields
for better agricultural yields
and offering opportunities, vast
to the people to develop fast.
Differed on this, my grandfather
criticizing the dam on the river
“Electricity will take away
the fortune from the River Bay
her water will be robed off of treasure
and the loss will be beyond measure
At his statements
as foolish science laments.
Ignorant he was of electricity generation
that was beyond his illiterate imagination
But taking “An old tongue
can never go wrong”
because of the prophecy of intuition
outweighs the illiteracy in an old person
as people say
without going into the fray
now I see a metaphor
in his criticism, bitter
“Electricity will take away
from the water in River Bay
all ingredients helpful to us
leaving behind materials venomous”
Agree I
when now I see
dry sands in the riverbed
the scenic flow of water found dead
At the downstream side of the river
animate and inanimate both suffer,
the upstream side has disturbed the ecology
“Lord is imperfect,” says present technology
Thus I found precious wisdom
from his foolishness that I fathom.
By a metaphoric interpretation
the old tongue is ever-golden
thus metaphorically I see
in his ignorance and illiteracy.

P K Routray
in the service of the Lord