Group 3 — Lessons of History

I was watching fireworks afar A rocket went up, a shooting star Instantly exploded in a flash A pebble into a pond splash; It formed a thousand points of light Brought a smile, delightful sight; In a moment they were all gone Its short life its course had run. And then I heard a distant boom Loudly proclaiming its doom; Though pointless it may have seemed Brilliantly for a moment gleamed. And so it is with heavenly stars Though longer time, distant, sparse They glow and shine but for a while Then they go out without guile All that remains, light years away Traces of light, of their life say They glowed and shone with brilliance Constantly giving of their radiance They lived their lives with full flare For the short time that they were there; And when they are there no more To distant times their light will soar. Historical figures with might Glowed for a while, then took flight DaVinci, Einstein and Shakespeare Are living though dead may appear. All that remains, their distant boom Bodies buried inside their tomb But their names, far from doom Pages of history groom.

We hail JFK Whose bold display Inspired a nation To take her station Put man on the moon And achieve it so soon. He asked with a tone sincere and true "Ask not what your country can do for you, Ask what you can do for your country!" And led the way with an air of gallantry. This arises a question in my mind Isn't this how we should treat humankind? Isn't our god also to be treated thus? Should we pray to ask what god can do for us? Or pray to see what we can do for our god And move ahead, spirited, brave, and proud.

J. Edgar Hoover, the head of the FBI For the longest time held a position most high Presidents came and went during his reign But Hoover, the constant rock, would remain. Ruthless, powerful, trickster in his way Nobody dared against him one thing say. Still as the head, he died some years back Gradually things come out, revealing his track; His lust for control, his drive for power Ruling from his ivory tower in his hour, But now he is dead, his dust and earth the same Though many monuments erected in his name. Now the question is was his life worthwhile? In the name of security putting so many on trial? Surveillance, beating, murder, assassination Done in the name of defending the nation; Making deals with the Mob, and the devil In expunging lives he did revel. Using so much power, cunning and guile Destroying love, eradicating smile, And then he went through the final portal That is traversed by every mortal. His power and fame is now but fiction What is real is so much affliction And pain, mistrust and fear in hearts of men Though he is no longer head of the pit bull pen; Just mentioning the Bureau creates such a sense Of putting up guards, going on defence. In spite of all this fear, the ultimate mover Finally will take us to where is now Hoover; To a place where our flesh and bones Will become one with clay and stones, And a place where our immortal soul Is united with our divine whole. Yet in the name of justice, avoiding wrong we must, Else our heads are hung in shame with the unjust; An eye for an eye makes the world go blind A life for a life the whole earth barren find; For if we are truly children of one God Even upon J. Edgar Hoover, God will nod, Everyone who beholds a rose simply knows Beside the flower the thorn naturally grows. Though it is easy to fight with, go to war We must try to love even one such as J. Edgar.

Rudolf Hess once to the crowd Proclaimed this maxim aloud "You won't know Hitler with your mind The Fuhrer with you heart you'll find. Turn off your mind and your brain From all thinking then, refrain; Use your heart as the only tool, This is an important Nazi rule." The New Age says, "get out of your mind Only to your heart yourself bind, Cause of our troubles, a heartless head; It is the head we should solely dread." A heartless head is just as bad As a headless heart may be mad; Big Brother, a heartless machine Or put Hitler on the scene. One will serve its own need Based on self-serving greed, Other pain and fear will breed Its endless appetite to feed. We were born with a head and heart Why should we keep them apart? Virtue is not in killing either, But in making each, other's feeder.

Mother nature's features The world of creatures; The cursing preachers Modern false teachers Will fervently destroy With nature they'll toy Domination they'll try Progress their battle cry. Power in the name of God Destroyed, shed much blood, Power of progress Like Midas will caress With a touch that curses The object it nurses. Church of technology Dogmatic theology, Modernist insanity Drowning in vanity, Short in morality This is reality.