That Life, That World

An unlit traditional Bhutanese Hearth, abandoned in an old house

Come and sit by me
I will tell you a story or two
of the days when world was different
when birds flew freely
when rivers flowed clear
when the clouds moved to grace the blue sky
when the moon shone the brightest in the night sky
when little boys and little girls played into dark
safely
of the times when strangers smiled at each other
when a young person stopped to help an old lady
of the times when mothers suckled her child at her breast
when fathers took his children to play a game or two in the fields
of times when grandfathers and grandchildren sat by the hearth
while grandmothers cooked, and shared centuries-old stories of values and love
when man loved his woman the way she should be
when woman warmed her bed only with her man
when children held their old parents in their arms
when students bowed to their teachers in reverence
of the times when happiness wasn’t paid for
when wars were avoided
of times when human were humane
when animals were treated as a member of the family
life was different
I lived that life, in that world