My greatest fear and deepest dread
Is of the sands of time;
That neglect and disuse
Can erode away information;
That a vast digital library
Is subject to major seizures--
That paper even
Has no ability to make words last
Unless it is copied
And recopied
Managing to multiply itself
From generation to generation.
My greatest fear
Is that humanity stops reading
Everthing except for sensational headlines.
Against this fear, is there an answer?
Against this fear,
At least here,
I know we are all working:
There will be many answers.
About the Creator
Rob Angeli
sunt lacrimae rerum et mentem mortalia tangunt
There are tears of things, and mortal objects touch the mind.
-Virgil Aeneid I.462
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More stories from Rob Angeli and writers in Poets and other communities.
Standing Still
There are very few moments in life where time truly stands still. When your breath is taken from your chest and your body hangs weightless in that moment. Just long enough for it to stay with you from that day onwards. Deep in the red sands of the Australian Outback, I found that moment and clung to it forever.
By Kevin McLaughlin5 days ago in Wander
Comments (13)
We are the keepers of awe for the power and magic of reading. I like to believe that the spirit of Word never dies, it simply reshapes. Your poem is touching and outstanding.
I share this fear too, and I love how you express it. I hope us working against it here will make a difference. Some days it feels more hopeful…and that can be enough.
We share that fear
Excellent take on what I assume the challenge to be, fear is destroyer if we let us get the better of us
Oh, yes! There's something to fear there, indeed! Very well written.
Oh wow. There's so much truth to this. Wonderful, important piece. Well done.
"That a vast digital library is subject to major seizures" - these lines reminded me of the recent Z-library seizure by FBI. Of course, book pirating is a crime, but the one I could look past... Overall, I don't believe that humanity ever stops reading. It just gonna always be polarized in this respect.
I guess we read enough for everybody here. I been neglecting actual books, reading so much here. I will read a book soon. a fear most interesting.
Well done.
Chilling! I always remember "My name is Ozymandias, king of kings: Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!" And yet, he is lost and all but forgotten. You capture the fear of time and fading beautifully
R, this is such a relatable fear! I'd never considered this before and now it haunts me a little. What if the world stopped reading? 🤔
Beware the Idiocracy!
Very unique fear! I enjoyed this.