Civilisation has reached its height: A poem 

We can measure seasons for aeons and the universe’s time 

Aeroplanes can do it much better than any bird’s flight 

But the colour of the rainbow in a smog is all too white 

And they are saying civilisation has reached its height 

Hunger and poverty are cold, politics is a dirty sight 

Correctness is toxic morality, nuclear arms are might 

Talk democracy is hope, but the cat flap to freedom is shut tight 

And they are saying civilisation has reached its height 

Machines give us our clues, war is always in the news 

We don’t need artists or poets, AI has all the needed hues 

Astuteness is no cover story, propaganda has all the bite 

And they are saying civilisation has reached its height 

Children are sleepless and broken, marriage is a mere token 

The pacifist has a nightmare after the leaders have spoken 

The streets are covered with greed; soulless like a starless night 

And they are saying civilisation has reached its height 

We can go to Mars and even reach the distant Oort cloud 

We can spend our hours in leisure and entertainment aloud 

But if you read the stars at midnight, you’ll know the ancients were right 

Let them keep reiterating that civilisation has reached its height