The Cost of Progress

Through ages past, we forged ahead,
With gleaming tools where dreams were led.
Soft metal pipes, they carried flow,
Yet silent poison crept below.

A glowing spark, in dials bright,
Lit up the dark, but stole the light.
Brushes kissed lips, an artist's pride,
Yet bones grew frail as youth subsides.

Fibers woven, fire's foe,
In walls and mines, their curse would grow.
Lungs turned stone, and whispers fade,
A heavy price their lives have paid.

Secrets stirred in shadowed halls,
Where science's call brought down great walls.
Beasts reshaped, but lost their core,
What soul survives such cruel rapport?

Beauty painted to beguile,
Yet venom lurked in every vial.
Tremors came, minds slipped away,
For fleeting grace, the toll we pay.

Now batteries hum, and engines thrive,
Yet flames may leap where sparks survive.
The earth protests, its veins run dry,
What cost we bear, we must decry.

Each step we take, each bright new flame,
Holds truths we fear to give a name.
But heed the past, its lessons learn,
Lest futures bright to ashes turn.

Copyright © | Year Posted 2025



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Date: 4/26/2025 1:18:00 PM
Without a mention of the radium that once was added to cosmetics, I want to applaud your contribution to awareness. We need more warranty in things we purchase. Thank you for this great rhyming and hopefully death-defying poem. Note: there is a documentary on the plight of young girls who worked in the industry at the turn of the century.
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kjeld vk
Date: 4/26/2025 11:51:00 PM
Dear Hilda Greenhough, Thank you for your kind words and thoughtful comment on my poem. I'm truly honored that you appreciated the rhyming structure and the message about raising awareness of the hidden dangers in our pursuit of progress. Your mention of the documentary about the young girls in the radium industry adds such a poignant layer to this conversation, and I'm grateful for your insight. I hope my words can contribute to reflecting on these important lessons from the past. Warm regards, Kjeld VK
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