OLD IS GOLD ?

 

                                                       

1.    All their responsibilities over; now they are old

So many years went fast with so many events

Of shocking surprises and smashing blows they spent;

Now they are idle, all their acts remain as memories dim

A rich tapestry of experiences manifold

Reveals their dark shades as well as their decisions bold;

Lingering dreams both hilarious and grim

Each thing, a rich mine of their feelings unfolds

Closely linked to their things though worn and old.

 

2.    Though of no use they tend to store articles old

Safely hidden in the lumber room or in the loft

To let them go rusting or gathering dust a lot

Their minds swell with pride whenever they behold

The relics of their past which they feel as precious as gold

Each item and article, a rich heritage reveals

Going back to many generations they feel

Their eyes become dim with tears when they recall

Their ancestors, their hard toil, uprise and their downfall.

 

3.    The tiled tiny houses old wherein they dwell

Were built in old fashion with tiny windows and doors

With tiled sloping roofs and rugged stone-floors

With spacious backyards and gloomy cells;

Appear morose, lonely with lost glory casting a tragic spell

Yet still survive weather-beaten with corridors long

They seem to resist decay and survive still strong

Though for others out of date, worthless and not so cute

Like ruined temples with broken sculptures mute.

 

4.    They stack their old books in cupboards in rows neat

Which they esteem as a valuable treasure

To them a source of knowledge and immense pleasure

But now gathered dust and verily a sumptuous feast

To silver fish; a rich heritage which they can not to forfeit;

The present generation finds no time or patience to read

Those bulky volumes, repositories of wisdom indeed

The present digital age people cannot not spare

So much space for these leather-bound collections rare.

 

5.    Their world seems out of date with articles old

Yet the elders would not like suddenly to part;

They are part of their lives very near to their hearts

They touch them as if they are worth precious gold

And praise them as strong, durable and not to be sold

The old T.V. fridge, brass vessels and pots

All obsolete things bought once at throw away cost

Each thing has a history and feelings of its own

They don’t like their old things as junk to be thrown.

 

6.    They may seem, like cobwebs in gloomy nooks cold

Or like bats hanging upside down from trees

Not daring enough to be flexible and free

Averse to change still clinging to customs old

Tied to their sentiments they are not bold;

Yet we should not brush aside their feelings and thoughts

If these things are lost, can we capture the spirit of past?

No chance to retrieve their glory lost at any cost.

We should respect and imbibe their values, a lot.

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 18th November 2025           Somaseshu Gutala