What would our ancestors think
If they could see our palatial homes
Taps with cold and hot water
That doesn’t have to be carried in a bucket

Would they marvel at the microwave
Heating a TV dinner at the press of a button
And the magic of mobile phones
That let us talk to loved ones across the globe

What would endless racks of clothes
In a brightly lit shopping mall look like
To a weaver who has spent her whole life
Hunched over a loom, and in her age
Can no longer make her back or fingers straight

What luxury, they would say, and what temptation

Would the person who once lived in a small hut
On land now occupied by traffic lights and idling cars
Marvel at the power of these amazing machines
Or would he be sad he could not hear the birds?

Photo by Nabeel Syed on Unsplash