Land golden, now forgotten

Once there was a land
immersed in golden hues
shadowed by dark clouds
awe-struck we stood there in that
in-between region of luminosity and gloomy
heights;
A mid-summer breeze, sole companion
we rushed with it but could never
outrun the scented wind in the
meadows wild and full of life;
on that vantage point met
the earth and the sky.

Now---
The magic gone
rising farmers’ suicides
rapid and ugly urbanization
cities ghettoized and variously-priced
special economic zones usurping
farms and villages green
for profits unending for some;
Well, well,
that sweet parcel of childhood
a daily school and community-hall
for lessons real and live by nature;
Turned into a receding memory
captured as a rarity on celluloid.