Images of Our Time: Poems and Fables

By Robert Skaf

Images of Our Time is a combination of poetry, short stories, and paintings.

For decades, I have been observing the developments around the world that would ultimately affect our survival as a species. As a grocer, I would have been more than happy just to take care of my business and my family. The least of my worries should have been the survival of the human race. Like most people in the West, I felt confident and optimistic about the future. This confidence grew stronger in particular after the dismemberment of the Soviet Union.

Slowly, however, I began to realize that as a civilization, the West is at risk of facing a major economic meltdown.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Jul 22, 2016
• ISBN: 9781524522919

Robert Skaf

Robert Skaf has been an experienced entrepreneur and businessman for years. Robert is also a published writer and a poet. In 1988 a fictional book called The Story of the Planet Candy was published. The novel foresaw how robots would be replacing humans and how stem cell technology would evolve to impact every aspect of our lives. A book called Functional Society, highlighting the important role entrepreneurs play in our society, followed in 1995. He has also published an e-book titled Survival: The Ultimate Mission. As well as being a businessman and writer, Robert also spends some of his time working on his inventions. He has already patented one electricity-generating device that harnesses the energy of waves to produce clean energy. Other devices are in the works. Robert has also started the Job Provider in Chief movement. Robert feels that a job provider in chief is just as important as the commander in chief. With the Job Provider in Chief movement, Robert hopes to spark innovation when it comes to creating quality, strategic jobs for our economy. Finally, Robert is also a husband to his wife, Jeanie, and father to his two children, Joseph and Jennifer. Robert’s family has always been very important to him.

Book preview

POEMS OF

OUR TIME

I WILL ALWAYS LOVE YOU

I am not ashamed to make this admission.

For years, I have used every trick and every deception

To attract your attention.

The pursuit of power, success, fame and recognition,

Of wealth and prized possession,

Was never my mission.

You were my only obsession.

All along, I was trying to make an impression.

All I wanted is your love and affection.

Should my dreams turn into an illusion?

Should my hopes become a delusion?

However may be the conclusion,

My love will always be free of any collusion,

Even when there is no sun and no fusion.

February 12, 2011

THE PAIN AND AGONY OF WARS AND VIOLENCE

When war broke out one day,

I was too little for anything to say.

Bombs exploded; bullets flew astray.

Shelters were the only place to stay.

A frightened, confined child not allowed to play.

Facing hunger for salvation I pray.

Daily life became a living hell in full display.

Fumes and smokes blocked the sun and every single ray.

A stench and thick plume of gunpowder turned the lungs gray.

Living in darkness day after day,

Death did not seem far away.

Yet despite the mayhem, never lost hope that someday

Peace will return, and I will be able to again play.

Sadly, things did not turn out that way.

So many to brutality keep falling prey.

Innocent victims with their life pay

For insanity and moral decay.

The pain and agony impossible to portray.

No safety on earth, not even in peaceful Norway.

Joy and fun bring me guilt; I keep them checked at bay.

It is pain and agony that stayed with me all the way.

Ironically, I became sadder at the end of the day

As I realize that fiery blazes will blow away.

Yet wars, violence, and hate will never go away.

July 22, 2011

HOW TO HONOR MY MEMORY?

Should I grow old and naturally die,

I hope you do more than just weep and cry.

Help humanity reach a civilization so high,

Where the flag of unjust cruelty ceases to fly;

An impossible task, but at least try.

Should I be stricken by an incurable disease,

Do more than just feel sorry for me, please.

Help those who suffer put their pain at ease.

See to it that love in the world increase;

An impossible task, but at least try.

Should I fall victim to hate and terror,

Seeking revenge would be a grave error,

A surrender to those guided by blind fervor.

Introduce them to peace, not more horror;

An impossible task, but at least try.

As you experience life’s ups and downs,

The losses may force you to become withdrawn.

Yet no matter how tragic your losses, carry on.

Do not surrender, do not let humanity down;

An impossible task, but at least try.

September 26, 2011

HAVING TWO PERSONALITIES IS NOT MEANT TO BE

Do not envy me, my friend,

I just know how to pretend.

Born to be a human is not a trend.

It is to suffer and worry till the bitter end,

Something hard to understand.

Do I have a life, or is it an assumption?

Awareness is not an advantage; it is a detention.

It brings us fear, guilt, and apprehension.

It drives us to addiction and depression,

Something hard to understand.

Staying sober is not my choice.

Unlike you, I cannot rejoice.

Time and death, a burden to break a horse.

Yet I must carry them, I must stay the course,

Something hard to understand.

As an addict, you are care free.

A total paranoid is my destiny.

Having a little fun would be nice to see.

Alas, having two personalities is not meant to be,

Something hard to understand.

September 30, 2011

THE COFFIN PROBE

Drive your metal probe down deep;

Nothing bothers me, I am in deep sleep.

Worry not about disturbing my coffin, ignore the beep.

What could hurt dead bones or a rotting wood heap?

The harm was done when treated as a creep.

Too late to show gentleness and affection.

No respect accorded before or compassion.

Decades of abuse drove me to depression.

Dirt is immune to every type of oppression.

The harm was done when treated as a creep.

Always longed to live for peace, love, and romance.

But, but my friendship was never given a chance.

Selfishness and greed all you wanted to enhance.

Go on, push the spear down, don’t even glance.

The harm was done when treated as a creep.

Poor, sick, hungry and, old, we suffer every day.

Billions of us are dead; billions are on the way.

No one gives a damn; we are not in the survey.

We are glad to depart; relieve us; put us away.

The harm was done when treated as a creep.

October 3, 2011

THE LOST GENERATION

From being on top of the world,

We have gone down to the bottom.

To continue down this road

Would be tragic and hard to fathom.

We are the lost generation.

From doing everything right,

We are doing everything wrong.

Our future is no longer bright.

The hope is dead and so is the song.

We are the lost generation.

We have no future and no destination.

Fun and pleasure are our only occupation.

We shrug off any possible intimidation

And don’t care for any civilization.

We are the lost generation.

Do not blame us for creating this situation.

From the day we were born,

No one offered us any guiding education.

We grew lazy, spoiled, and stubborn,

Only to become the lost generation.

At home, we grew pampered and glorified.

At school, teachers pretended to be satisfied.

Little brats who were never terrified.

Yet of red tapes our teachers were horrified,

Giving birth to the lost generation.

Yelling and spanking should have been our savior,

A proper punishment for any misdemeanor.

Disallowing them resulted in our failure

And made us aspire to live like drunken sailors,

Proud to belong to the lost generation.

Never pushed to study and learn to spell,

Banning employers from raising hell,

Denied us training or learning any skills,

We face a grim future, as anyone can tell,

A lost generation with no hope in hell.

October 16, 2011

DIFFERENT PLANETS

How can you be happy with a life

So void of any struggle or strife,

Whereas, I spend my waking hours

Trying to put out all sorts of fires?

Could it be that you and me

Are from different planets?

How can you be so callous and selfish,

Treating your fellow humans like fish,

Whereas, I cannot sleep during the night,

Thinking of the poor and their plight?

Could it be that you and me

Are from different planets?

Day and night, I worry about the future,

About a generation with no hope;

Yet over the years, you seem to cope

With a lifestyle that suits a vulture.

You and me must be

From different planets?

Changing the way you live is not my aim.

But your whining is driving me insane.

How many times must I repeat and explain?

Yet you still choose to complain.

You and me must be

From different planets?

October 17, 2011

PROCESSISM

Particles and subparticles may be tiny and small.

Elements could be as white as vapor or as black as coal.

The infinite universe may have a purpose and a goal.

Eternity may be made of all types of spirit and souls.

Biology is known to be at times harsh, systematic, and cruel;

But regardless, everything must abide by my rules.

I am PROCESSISM.

Though an invisible force, I am potent and obscure.

Without me, boredom and stagnation would everywhere endure.

Thanks to me, nothing in the universe stays forever secure.

Changes, rebirth, rejuvenation, and recreation is what I ensure.

Occurrences and events, without which one can be sure

That there will be no universe, no life, and no complete tour.

I am PROCESSISM.

I am the force that compels creation, transmutation, and transformation.

I do not allow for stillness or rumination or stagnation.

A constant universe is akin to a void and its foundation.

A place of nothingness cannot exist in my calculation.

There can only be innovation, adaptation, and continuous creation,

Functions without which existence would have no validation.

I am PROCESSISM.

October 31, 2011

THE NEW DOMAIN

To scientists, life is simple and easy to explain.

It is the product of chemicals, such as methane.

If this were the case, we must all be insane.

Why do we put up with all this anguish and pain?

Why not choose the easy way out and leave the train?

Oh yes, few of us do, but the majority remain

Committed to a life, however harsh and mundane.

Sure, evolutionary biology has a role to play.

Chemicals may be in control all the way.

They may dictate to us when to go and when to stay.

But let’s not forget we also have our own say.

Yet when brutality is inflicted on us every day,

When our life is ruined by greed and moral decay,

Why don’t we give up and go away?

If we were chemicals, why bother with a name?

Why seek fortunes and fame?

Why carry an artistic flame?

Why not lead a life completely lame?

As a lay person, I can easily claim

That humanity belongs to a unique domain;

Most of it is made of spirit and hardly any propane.

November 7, 2011

ACTIVISM

Our downfall is not going to be prevented by a class fight.

Our economic woes are not about what is wrong or right.

The whole crisis is caused by impotent leaders with no foresight.

This is the description of the situation in black and white.

We have no one else but ourselves to blame.

Though we do protest and complain,

We keep electing the same team over and again.

If our civilization is to fall, it will be our shame.

In a gathering void of a single bright mind,

How could we stay so trustful and blind?

Decisive solutions on our own we must find.

Let’s lead, let’s take charge, let’s put the past behind.

November 7, 2011

NATURE

Her ways may be difficult to understand,

At times harsh yet at times gentle and bland.

She creates rapists, warmongers, and criminals

And gives birth to thieves, murderers and cannibals.

To us, a species extremely cynical,

Clearly, nature has gone completely mental.

Intelligent, arrogant, critical, and judgmental,

We forget that in the struggle for survival,

She scores higher than any unique mammal.

Staying alive for billions of years is not coincidental.

This is what counts; this is what is fundamental.

Heed no data, scientifical, critical, or comical.

Life is something mystical and magical.

All living things survive by relying on instinct.

Without enforceable laws, humanity would become extinct.

Of all species, we resolve to fight biology.

We remedy inflictions with medication and surgery,

An attempt that requires effort and energy.

Other creatures seek to find synergy.

A generation ago, we were full of love and care.

We had dreams, high expectations, courage, and dare.

Thanks to things chemical and medical,

We were certain of winning the battle.

Never anticipated for something so radical,

To end up extremely ineffectual and tragical.

Our achievements lead us to glorify the power of the brain,

Yet we still have a long way to go before we can claim

That our ways are superior to the natural domain.

Just watch how we are evolving to be selfish, meek, and tame.

Could all our efforts be a waste or an exercise in vain?

Only by outlasting nature would we have won the ultimate game.

November 27, 2011

TO FREEDOM

TERRORIST CANNOT TAKE

YOU AWAY FROM ME

Over the horizon, the sun is about to appear.

I see your smiling face, beautiful and clear.

For a moment, I doubt the scene.

After all, it could be a daydream.

Suddenly, like the murmur of a stream,

A happy message free of tears,

Free of fear.

It is your voice I can hear.

Heaven is opened as I feel you to be so near.

So glad to realize, my dear,

That even terrorists cannot take you away from me.

Around me, pain and anguish are all I can see.

Loneliness and sadness are my only company.

To my sobbing and crying, I foresee no end.

Deep depression is going to be my only friend.

Serious doubts begin to eat me inside.

Could you have been abandoned by all sides?

Suddenly, the message from heaven you send

Convinces me that nothing can cause our journey to end

Because not even terrorists can take you away from me.

Dying for you is a goal I will gladly seek.

By defending you, my end might be horrific and bleak.

Actually, terrorists may kill me tomorrow.

However, as certain and real this fact may be,

It shall bring me no regret nor sorrow.

Death, under tyranny, is a welcome relief.

Living under oppression is an eternal grief.

In fact, even in heaven, I don’t want to be,

Unless it is a place where for certain you would be.

For even in the afterlife, let my pledge be

Terrorists cannot take you away from me.

September 19, 2001

JEANIE’S SONG

YOUR SMILE MAKES MY DAYS BEAUTIFUL.

YOUR LOVE MAKES ME FEEL WONDERFUL.

YOUR HUMOR MAKES MY EVENING CHEERFUL.

YOUR COMPANY MAKES MY LIFE MEANINGFUL.

YOUR FRIENDSHIP HAS ENRICHED MY LIFE,

BROUGHT WARMTH AND JOY TO MY HEART,

AND MADE ME A BETTER MAN.

NEVER EVER DOUBT MY DEVOTION,

FOR MY LOVE TO YOU

IS DEEPER THAN ANY OCEAN,

WIDER THAN THE BLUE SKIES,

BRIGHTER THAN ANY STAR,

AND WILL LAST LONG AFTER

THE INFINITE UNIVERSE DIES.

MY GIFT TO YOU

IS MY UNSELFISH AND UNCONDITIONAL LOVE,

THE HAPPY MOMENTS WE SPEND TOGETHER,

THE FUN I BRING YOU IN THE WINTER,

THE LAUGHTER WE SHARE IN THE SUMMER,

THE ASSURANCE I’LL BE THERE FOR YOU,

THE PLEDGE THAT I WILL FOREVER CHERISH AND ADORE YOU.

NEVER EVER ACCUSE ME OF BETRAYING YOU,

FOR MY LOVE TO YOU

IS DEEPER THAN ANY OCEAN,

WIDER THAN THE BLUE SKIES,

BRIGHTER THAN ANY STAR,

AND WILL LAST LONG AFTER

THE INFINITE UNIVERSE DIES.

Love

Robert December 6, 2001

A TRIBUTE TO THE RISK TAKER

Let my dreams run wild.

Let them fuel my creative mind.

Impossible to control a little child,

Let alone stop the ocean tide.

My destiny is something I can’t hide.

It is in my genes, lodged deep inside.

Save me the preaching, my friend.

I am just a tool for a noble end.

For me, taking risk is not a simple trend.

Human progress is my purpose and my intent,

An explanation everyone should understand.

Even as I try and fail,

Remember the first man to set sail,

Facing the mighty ocean howling gale.