Empty was the hand that was born.

Carrying nothing, it moves on.

How much did it try to usurp

As its own, of what was on the earth?

That which existed before it came

But was consumed, reduced to flame;

Desecrating mother from whose womb

it came; turning earth into a tomb?

Here lies buried life of the future,

Its hopes interred, along with nature;

Buried with this generation

Is a lot of God’s creation.

Though mere guests who are passing through

Staying for a minute, no more,

We plunder too much of earth’s store;

More than it can afford, much more!

Dinesh Gopalan

(Dinesh Gopalan is a member of the National Advisory Board of ISME. He holds an MBA from IIMA and has over 20 years’ experience in the corporate finance functions of several companies. He writes on varied subjects, with a special emphasis on personal finance. He blogs at http://www.dineshgopalan.com )