What Price Progress

There once were hoards of fish in the sea That laps our local shores Then they built a Nuclear Power Plant Now the fish are there no more, As the Power Plant site increases in size The fishermen’s livelihood heads for demise. There once was a hive of industry In the centre of our town Then they built a couple of superstores Now the heart of the city is running down, With more and more superstores being proposed Will city centre commerce draw to a close? There used to be fields at the city’s edge Where as kids we would spend all day Then they built estates of affordable homes With only their streets for the children to play, As each new house gets its foundation More land is stolen from the next generation. There once was fuel in abundance Which we used without thought or care But emissions have thawed the ice caps By causing ‘holes in the Ozone Layer’, As the glacial landscape melts into the sea Polar Circle wildlife will inevitably cease to be. There has to be change with progress As life irrevocably moves on Perhaps now its time to pause and take stock Before all that we take for granted is gone, For what is our gain, is our children’s loss As progress continues, but who knows at what cost?