Once upon a time, my city was quiet,
The days were calm- and calmer the night,
And we always got to breathe fresh air,
We dwelt in abundance-and without fear. 

When we were kids, we had lots of playgrounds,
Could count the vehicles that moved around,
Roaming around the city in no time,
For the city was smaller, and lesser was the crime.

By the time I grew up to be a teenager,
Open spaces and trees were much fewer,
All had to make way for the concrete jungle,
Industrialization caused the apparent bungle.

And now there are no more free roads,
Incessant vehicles are moving in loads,
Commuting is not the same as before,
Pollution and traffic greet us at the door.

Suddenly we have no time for leisure,
The memories of which rekindles the pleasure,
Managing time is becoming a mess,
Life is now more about stress.

But they say these are all inevitable,
So spare yourself those thoughts that trouble,
For people need more money to be self-contained,
So industrialization and expansion have to be maintained.

But then why still people don’t have enough?
Getting even basic needs is tough,
Scarcity of water, free spaces are rare,
We don’t even get to breathe fresh air

But they say such talks are useless pursuits,
Times have changed, and so let be our roots,
We belong to the new age, so we are in hurry,
And thoughts of the past, we need to bury.

But once upon a time, my city was quiet,
The days were calm- and calmer the night,
And we always got to breathe fresh air,
We dwelt in abundance-and without fear.

.    .    .