ORACLE

Tell me Oracle what do you see?
How will the future be?
I ask you Oracle urgently
Bestow your wisdom kindly on me

I’m hungry for knowledge
I’m dying of thirst
I drink at your fountain
I am immersed
I’m desperate for answers
I’m yearning for truth
I’m down on my knees
I’m not ashamed of my youth

I must be honest, my earnest son
Crumbs of comfort have I none
I see a species with its head in the sand
Its reins controlled by an idle hand
I see a people paralysed with fear
I see catastrophe coming near
No spiritual conversion
No end to the greed
As the temperatures rise
And the floodplains recede

Oh tell me Oracle what should I do?
I’m at a loss and I’m depending on you
I ask you once, I ask you twice
Three times I plead for your advice

I tell my friends but they think I am mad
I ask my teachers but they say that I’m bad
I write, I draw, I play and I sing
But no one seems to be listening

I cannot lie, my earnest boy
Your task is great and your time is short
You must devote your life and work
To proselytising your view of the world
However small your audience
However great their indifference
You must keep up the conversation
You mustn’t give in to intimidation

I thank you Oracle gratefully
Your words of wisdom hearten me
You will not be disappointed with me
I’ll do your bidding, you will see