Fetch the water, quench the flame,

Tare away the paper, crush the leaves.

Tell the people, call the mayor, relieve the fishermen of their cares.

Hear the radio, kill the silence, rejoice in the heat of a cargo of lost things.

Make ready, build a shelter, repair the punctured  tire and wear the special clothes.

Be mindful, be aware, skim the milk and take out the rubbish.

Spend the money and make the babies.

Trim the sails and kill the engine.

Premaster the language, relearn the wheel.

Write numbers and  draw new   symbols.

Build them high, worship a god, obey the myths and wishes of the old.

Rekindle the heart’s fire and try again.

Look, listen, learn – forget, revive.

Call the doctor, run the bath, create a  religion and build a monument.

Scan the horizon, gaze at the stars, wish for fulfilment and better beginnings.

Reinvent fire, milk the cow, refuel the shuttle and glimpse infinity.

Restart old wars, reuse old bags,

Remember old sorrows; and  recycle old memories like bottles.

Unfold broken wings and dust off  that  old belief.

Sacrifice that beast, renew that superstition  and buy a new car.

Saddle that horse, harness that dream, catch that cold and die of new cares.

History moves, people stand still.

Civilisations rise, civilisations fall,

Dawn and dusk, night and day,

Sunlight, snow, rain and squall.

Gods live, gods die;

Myths are made, legends are forgotten.

Roll out the red carpet, remember the genocide and re-use the chaos.

String theory, quantum physics,  a multivers of possibilities,  here and now, life and death entwine,

Time broken, science ranting at a careless fickle  world.

A plane crash, a religious war,

Crucify him, torture them, kill their families and start again.

Relearn language, reinvent speech,

Reshow seeds and  close  new wounds.

Shout at the moon and dance for the sun,

Carbon and bronze, steel and might,

Spear  to AK47 in a blink of an eye,

Horse to Concorde in a nanosecond of creation,

Smoke signals to SMS in less than a thought.

Break the barriers, kill the future, poison the rivers and forget the ancient wonderment.

Condemn the brave and praise the weak,

Embrace the foolish and hurt  the wise.

Blow the conch and call  the meeting,

Upgrade windows and have a baby.

Build them high, build them strong, the temples, the towers, the castles, the   statues and the skyscrapers.

Resurface the shopping-centre car park and eat a burger,

Go to the cinema and  search for berries, roots and nuts.

Keep your head down, be ready it’s coming.

Take a handful of pills and  a bottle of booze, try to forget, anaesthetise the senses  and close your soul.

It’s over in a  jiffy,

A flash of time,

From ape to astronaut,

From civilisation to decay.

Make your memories,

But don’t hold on  to them too tight;

Share your dreams,

Fall in love,

Be happy,

But be strong,

For it will soon be gone.

So much to remember,

So much to forget,

A life of possibility ,

A world of new machines.

Be glad for the moment,

Happy for the now.

Whistle a happy tune,

Eat tasty food,

Sleep with beautiful people,

Stroke magnificent animals,

Watch interesting programmes.

Read a wonderful book,

See excellent films,

Listen to stirring music,

Do things that are good.

But remember the past,

Remember the future,

Civilisations reign, rise, rejoice then fall,

Then it happens again, the cycles restarts and  we’re left in the background to  reinvent ourselves and rebuild our cultures, our lands, our lives, our planet.

So swim, run, walk, play, feel the sun, love the moon and rejoice for the stars.

Pat a unicorn,

Hug a mermaid,

Kiss a lion and ride the starlight to a new destiny.