Thursday, July 19, 2012

Not Built like they used to Be

A hotspring of comfort
billows steam from pools
existing several
miles below the semi-
broken soil has produced
water perfect for cleansing
and for tasting.  It has been
provided for as long as time
can define.  Yet, the pipes at
the local school have all grown
corroded and unhealthy sediment
is seeping in, creating undrinkability.
The school and it's pipes, are but only
twenty-two years old.

A well, built of rocks,
pebbles, bricks and
stone stands today
as it has the past
two hundred and twenty-three,
all the while,
the large farm house at the
other end of the same
property, has been condemned
for numerous safety violations,
ironically, that farmhouse is
only thirty-seven years of age

There was a time not too long ago when
an elderly couple could be seen on a dealer's lot,
looking for that one car that would last them throughout
their retired years, whether that be for 10, 15 or 20 years.
The quality of materials were of such, that this was not hard
to fathom, in fact, many of those olden cars are still outperforming
those vehicles fresh off the assembly line today.  The marketers rave about their products style, gas mileage and safety precautions, yet, when fully examined, the only reason serious injuries are down, is due to the invention of the airbag and modernized braking systems.  If it weren't for those creations, the rate wouldn't even be close.

Time's they be a changing
Advancement doesn't always mean progress
And progress doesn't necessarily not mean decline.


4 comments:

  1. I agree.

    Refrigerators used to be lifetime too, but I think now you are lucky if they last five years. All the appliances and electronics. PC motherboards had better life spans as well in the beginning. Older apartment blocks are apparently better with stronger walls than the new ones that are built faster. So many things.

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  2. some interesting vignettes you have chosen here...there is a lot of truth in that last little bit...we move on way too fast in some ways and in other not fast enough....i was watching a show on fracking last night and the contamination it is causing...ugh....progress....and then also think why we cant seem to find a cure for cancer...

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  3. You are definitely right! Your last stanza is so true. The one constant is that....times will change, and for better or worse is often a matter of perspective. A fine write.

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  4. Yeah agreed. They always make things so they will break sooner because technology is advancing faster. So who is going to buy the Iphone 10000 if the Iphone 2 never breaks? So they have to make them break or they wouldn't be able to pump out a new version every year.

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