My Words Whisper to the Future
My words whisper to the future
When ink on paper
Ceases to be just writing;
Letters and phrases
Careful punctuation
Sentence structure and grammar
Books easily found
Everywhere
Or suddenly nowhere
Without warning
A dramatic elevation
Situational change
When written works
Become
More than just entertainment
So much more than
Artfully woven poetry
With its well-chosen words,
Tall tales and proven facts
Figures, shapes and inclined graphs
Fairy tales and fantasy
Love stories and lullabies
Fables and memoirs
Epics
Odes
Rules to live by
And to die by
Rituals and instructions
Thoughts on paper
Troves of information
Books and manuscripts
Accumulating
Some shelved, others forgotten
Dusty bookstores
Classroom closets
Quiet library stacks
The smell of parchment and leather
Boxes
In every attic
Basement storages
Hidden away as keepsakes
Magazines and newspapers
Folded headlines screaming
Sensational reporting
The news they say
Yet no one knows
The sources that may remain
Ink on paper
After the fateful day
When the lights go out
Screens flicker and then go dark
Hard drives fail
The cloud isn’t responding
Network error
Network error
Net…..
And the chaos begins
Everything changes
The ups are down
Our world is turned around
And the cloud still isn’t responding
The great race in the digital space
Has been interrupted
Prematurely ended
Permanently
All is lost
But the printed words
Forgotten as societies collapse
Basic needs rise
To survival needs
Book burnings for fuel
Instead of Fascism
Glimpses of ashes with visible text
Lost in a fleeting moment
Under the crush of firewood
What of the words
Which ones will remain
A chosen few
Hidden away
Like priceless treasures
Memories
Ink on paper
Whispering to the future
Splinters of the past
Additional Works of R. J. Schwartz
The Lover’s Thread, Poetry of Love and Romance
The Gypsy Thread – A Website Dedicated to All Things Unique
- The Gunfight at the O.K. Corral - May 11, 2026
- The Spring Collection - May 8, 2026
- Faces Without Names - May 6, 2026
I hate to think of a future that spells the death of books and the written word, Ralph. But yes, imagine if technology crashes, the Internet fails….there would once again be a desperate need for books and the handwritten word once again Great poetry.
Yes, great poetry indeed. This piece reminds me of a bookstore in Skagit County Washington. Saturdays often found me wandering through this ages old barn that was stuffed to the rafters with used books, most of them extremely old. I found books that were ancient and falling apart but I rescued so many, took them home and repaired them so I could read and cherish them. I pray there will always be bookstores like that where one can wander in the past and find treasures of the written word. Wow! You just took me down memory lane, Ralph. Thank you.
Words are constant, will always triumph and books will be reborn!
I love writing with soft pencil on paper – words flow like seeing magic writing.
You’ve brought back such feelings & I’m moved to write something about it – thank you, Ralph!
Ann
When written in books words become so much more. Very nice Ralph. Excellent poem. Jamie